Pope Leo XIV returns to Latin America, visiting Uruguay, Argentina, Peru

Associated Press · 2026-11-06 05:04 UTC

Pope Leo XIV is returning home to the continent where he spent two decades as a missionary priest and learned to be a pastor, visiting Uruguay, Argentina and his second homeland of Peru. The Nov. 6-17 trip marks the longest and farthest of his papacy and is coming just three weeks after Leo underwent surgery Oct. 13 to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. Latin America still is home to around 40% of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, but the Catholic proportion of the region’s population has shrunk in recent years and the decreases are especially notable in the countries Leo will visit.

What to know about Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is returning home to the continent where he spent two decades as a missionary priest and learned to be a pastor, visiting Uruguay, Argentina and his second homeland of Peru.

The Nov. 6-17 trip marks the longest and farthest of his papacy and is coming just three weeks after Leo underwent surgery Oct. 13 to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. Doctors nevertheless gave him the green light to make the trip.

Read the full story at Associated Press · All coverage of this story