Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay on Friday to begin a three-nation Latin America tour after surgery for a cancerous tumour in his right lung in October.
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Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay on Friday to begin a three-nation tour of Latin America, less than a month after surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung on Oct. 13.
The Vatican said the pope flew for 13 1/2 hours from Rome and used his trip to address questions about whether he could make the grueling journey. He told reporters aboard the papal plane that “some people” had doubted he could complete the trip, adding, “I confess that from the first day, I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward.”
During the start of the visit, the 71-year-old pope met Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi and other government officials during a formal welcome and speech at Plaza Independencia.
Later Friday evening, Pope Leo presided over an evening vespers service at the Montevideo cathedral that ended at 9 p.m. local time.
In remarks delivered in Spanish to Orsi, the pope praised Uruguay’s development while highlighting Uruguay’s Catholic heritage as a way to address what he said are today’s challenges, which he presented as a key aim of his visit.
He also told Orsi that the state is obliged to care for people, “young and old,” using Vatican terminology to articulate the church’s opposition to euthanasia.
In the course of the flight comments, Pope Leo credited his recovery to “Trusting God, good doctors, good surgeons, and overall I think a healthy lifestyle.” When asked if he felt as good as he looked, he quipped, “Maybe better.”
The visit comes as Uruguay is widely regarded as the most secular country in Latin America. The Vatican’s three-nation tour next includes Argentina and Peru, where Leo spent two decades as a missionary bishop.
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