Head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Leo XIV has touched down in Montevideo, Uruguay, marking the beginning of an intensive 12-day tour across South America. The high-profile trip comes merely three weeks after the 71-year-old pontiff underwent major surgery to remove a cancerous lung tumour, a medical procedure that had initially cast severe doubt on whether the journey could take place.
Key Takeaways: Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday following a 13-hour flight from Rome after passing his 14-day mandatory recovery period. The rigorous itinerary will span across Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, with Vatican officials confirming no special medical interventions beyond standard papal care were required.
Speaking to reporters aboard the papal aircraft, the pontiff acknowledged that widespread skepticism surrounded the journey, yet maintained he never doubted its necessity. Crediting exceptional medical assistance, he stated he felt in “fairly good shape.” Vatican communications chief Maria Montserrat Alvarado praised the leader's remarkable stamina and lung capacity, noting his ability to sing forcefully despite the recent operation.
The tightly packed three-day schedule in Uruguay—noted as the region's most secular and least Catholic nation—includes stops in a neighborhood plagued by heavy gang violence, alongside mass gatherings in Paysandu and Florida. Daniel Sturla, the Cardinal Archbishop of Montevideo, reported unprecedented public interest extending far beyond traditional church boundaries, with attendance tickets rapidly selling out.
The tour carries deep personal resonance for Leo, who spent nearly two decades serving as a missionary on the continent. The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics expressed hope that the pilgrimage would help mend declining religious affiliation, rising societal inequality, and persistent violence plaguing the visited nations. *
The concluding legs of the itinerary will take the pope to Peru, encompassing visits to the former Inca capital of Cusco, the Amazon rainforest, and his former diocese in Chiclayo for a private inspection of a reconstructed chapel.
Source: www.aljazeera.com