Pope Leo XIV begins twelve-day tour of South America
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on L’essentiel
Pope Leo XIV left Rome on Friday for a twelve-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, three weeks after lung surgery to remove a cancerous nodule. The 71-year-old pontiff, a former missionary in Peru, is due to arrive in Montevideo in the evening, according to AFP.
Pope Leo XIV took off shortly after 7am on Friday from Rome's Fiumicino airport for a twelve-day tour of South America, an AFP journalist on board observed. He is due to arrive at around 8.30pm local time in Montevideo, Uruguay, according to the Vatican.
The 71-year-old head of the Catholic Church will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The trip comes a little more than three weeks after lung surgery to remove a cancerous nodule; doctors gave their approval and the Vatican said no additional medical measures were needed beyond the usual care planned for papal trips.
The first pope from the United States, Leo XIV served for nearly two decades as a missionary in Peru, a country of which he also holds nationality. He said on Wednesday that he was delighted to return to these countries "so dear to him", and said he hoped the trip "could strengthen faith, renew hope and rekindle the fire of charity" on a continent where Catholicism is declining, particularly in the face of evangelical churches. The agenda includes meetings with political leaders, prisoners, poor people and old friends.
