Pope Leo XIV Begins Latin America Tour in Secular Uruguay Following Cancer Surgery

Pope Leo XIV boarded a flight for Montevideo on November 6, 2026, launching a 12-day tour of Latin America just three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery that nearly grounded the journey.

The 71-year-old pontiff faces a 13-and-a-half-hour journey from Rome to begin the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate. His medical team cleared him after he completed a mandatory 14-day convalescence following his October 13 operation, according to Vatican communications chief Maria Montserrat Alvar.

His stamina is fantastic, Alvar said, noting that the pope is singing with strong lungs and eager to travel.

Arrival in Uruguay Tests a Secular Landscape

The first leg of the itinerary brings the pope to Uruguay, a nation that has not hosted a papal visit since 1988. Home to 3.5 million people, Uruguay stands as the least Catholic and most secular country in a region representing roughly 40 percent of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Only a fraction of its citizens attend Mass regularly.

Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana, the second in Latin America to decriminalize abortion, and the third in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage. It also became the first regional nation to approve assisted dying legislation despite strong opposition from the Catholic Church. State separation from religion remains strict, extending to oaths of office that prohibit mentioning God.

Upon landing, Pope Leo is scheduled to meet with President Yamandú Orsi, who took office in March 2025 leading a center-left alliance. He will also deliver an address to diplomats and government officials before closing his first day with a vespers service at the Montevideo cathedral.

Stadion Crowds and Historic Roots in Florida

Despite the secular environment, local church officials report high demand for events. Tickets for a prayer vigil at Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium were claimed within two days.

Guzmán Carriquiry, the Uruguayan former head of the Vatican’s pontifical commission for Latin America, described the visit as a chance to break down the veil diminishing the nation’s Catholic foundations. He expects the pope to address the country’s Catholic heritage during a scheduled Sunday trip to Florida, a city about 100 kilometers from the capital.

That visit coincides with a November 8 feast honoring the Virgin of the Thirty-three. The small wooden icon is tied to August 25, 1825, when 33 patriots held the Guaraní statue while declaring independence from the Brazilian empire.

Future Stops Across the Continent

Beyond his three-day schedule in Uruguay—which includes a stop in a neighborhood affected by gang violence and Masses in Paysandú and Florida—the pontiff will travel onward to Argentina. He will conclude his journey in Peru, where he spent two decades working as a missionary priest and bishop.

While crowds are expected to turn out warmly across the itinerary, Virginia Commonwealth University chair of Catholic studies Andrew Chesnut noted that enthusiasm may not translate into returning churchgoers, calling Uruguay a difficult environment for long-term revitalization of regular Mass attendance.