Pope Leo XIV to Visit Latin America and Peru for 12 Days in November

WHO:

ABC News - Pope Leo XIV, born in the United States as Robert Prevost, is making the trip. He holds Peruvian citizenship and lived in Peru for two decades as a missionary priest.

ABC News - Leo led the Diocese of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023, when Pope Francis summoned him to Rome.

ABC News - Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said Leo’s condition was not permanent and that surgery was something “that you heal from.”

ABC News - Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the Vatican’s communications chief, said Leo personally confirmed the trip without changes.

ABC News - Argentina’s President Javier Milei is described as a self-described “anarcho-capitalist.” He previously called Francis a “filthy leftist” and “representative of evil on Earth.”

ABC News - Leo Guardado, a Fordham University associate professor of theology, said Milei’s plans to attract AI investment and data centers could be discussed.

ABC News - Guzmán Carriquiry, a former head of the Vatican’s pontifical commission for Latin America and a close friend of Francis, said Leo was coming to Argentina to “fill a void.”

ABC News - Argentine theologian María Marcela Mazzini said people had not doubted Francis’ affection for them and welcomed Leo’s continuation of his legacy.

ABC News - Andrew Chesnut, Virginia Commonwealth University’s chair of Catholic studies and an expert on the Latin American church, described Uruguay as Latin America’s most secularized nation.

BBC News - Pope Leo had part of a lung removed and is visiting Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

WHAT:

ABC News - Leo is undertaking a 12-day, three-country tour, described as the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate. It involves 12 flights and two helicopter rides, covering 31,000 kilometers (19,000 miles).

ABC News - Leo underwent surgery to remove a cancerous lung tumor and was described as recovering. Doctors said he required no further treatment and saw no reason he could not travel.

ABC News - The trip is expected to draw large crowds and raise concerns including economic injustice, Indigenous peoples’ circumstances, the Amazon, and clergy sexual abuse.

ABC News - Leo is expected to state church teaching on abortion and euthanasia in Uruguay.

Pew Research - Its carousel presents facts about Catholicism in Latin America in 2026 and offers access to its methodology, data and charts.

WHERE:

ABC News - The itinerary includes Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, with the final stop in Peru, including Lima and Chiclayo. Leo is also scheduled to travel to Cusco, at an altitude of 3,400 meters (11,200 feet).

ABC News - Uruguay has 3.5 million people; about one-third identify as Catholic, and a fraction regularly attend Mass.

ABC News - Uruguay is described as the world’s first country 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 region’s first country to approve assisted-dying legislation.

WHEN:

ABC News - The trip begins Friday and lasts 12 days.

WHY:

ABC News - Peru is personally significant to Leo: he told regional bishops he came to know the people’s faith there and learned what it means to be a shepherd.

ABC News - Leo’s Argentina visit is described as a homecoming and politically delicate. Francis never returned to Argentina after his election, leaving a complicated legacy for Leo to navigate.

HOW:

ABC News - The Vatican said no special or additional medical provisions were planned for Leo during the trip, including for his visit to high-altitude Cusco.

ABC News - Alvarado predicted Leo would speak spontaneously in Spanish and show his feelings during the visit.

(UPDATED November 6, 2026 01:11 UTC)

Pope Leo XIV is beginning a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru after lung surgery. Doctors say he needs no further treatment, and the Vatican reports no special medical provisions. The trip includes a homecoming in Argentina and a deeply personal return to Peru.