Pope Leo XIV commenced a three-nation tour of Latin America on Friday, starting with a visit to Uruguay, the region's least Catholic and most secular country. The trip follows the pontiff's lung cancer surgery three weeks prior, an event that had cast doubt on the journey's feasibility.
Leo arrived in Montevideo after a 13½-hour flight from Rome. His packed three-day itinerary in Uruguay includes a visit to a neighborhood affected by gang violence, a Mass in Paysandú, and another Mass in the city of Florida. This leg is the first stop on what is the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, undertaken as the 71-year-old pope continues his recovery.
The tour will also include visits to neighboring Argentina and conclude in Peru, where Leo previously served as a missionary priest and bishop for two decades. María Montserrat Alvarado, the Vatican's communications chief, stated that the pope's stamina is "fantastic" and that he has passed the required 14-day convalescence period following his Oct. 13 surgery. "His doctors are very confident and he'll have plenty of medical care on board should something happen, but we don't see that in his prognosis or even in the way that he's acting," she said.
In Uruguay, a nation that has not hosted a papal visit since 1988, Pope Leo XIV is expected to emphasize the country's Catholic heritage and present the faith as a solution to contemporary challenges. Upon arrival, he met with President Yamandú Orsi and delivered his welcome address to government officials and diplomats, followed by a vespers service at the city's cathedral.
Uruguay stands apart in Latin America, a region that is home to approximately 40% of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. The country is recognized as the most secular in the region, with only a small fraction of those identifying as Catholic attending Mass regularly. Uruguay has also enacted progressive legislation, including the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, decriminalization of abortion, and legalization of same-sex marriage. More recently, it approved assisted dying legislation, despite opposition from the Catholic Church, reflecting a strong separation of church and state.
Pope Leo is anticipated to address the church's historical opposition to abortion and euthanasia, framing it within a broader argument about upholding human dignity throughout life. Church officials in Uruguay have noted an apparent enthusiasm for the visit, with reports of tickets for a papal vigil selling out quickly.
Guzmán Carriquiry, former head of the Vatican’s pontifical commission for Latin America, expressed hope that the pope's presence will prompt reflection among Uruguayans. "I believe this pope will stir up questions in the hearts of Uruguayans — disturbing questions — questions about meaning and, we hope, questions about faith," he said. Carriquiry added that Leo is expected to highlight the Catholic roots of Uruguay, particularly during his visit to Florida on Sunday to observe an important Catholic feast day commemorating the Virgin of the Thirty-three, an icon linked to Uruguay's independence movement.
Andrew Chesnut, chair of Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, suggested that while the visit may generate warmth, it might not necessarily translate into increased church attendance, noting that Uruguay has been considered a "lost cause" for revitalizing Catholicism for decades.