The pontiff arrived in Montevideo for a 12-day trip through three countries, three weeks after undergoing an operation to remove a lung tumor.
Pope Leo XIV touched down in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Friday to open a 12-day tour across South America, his first international journey since undergoing surgery for lung cancer three weeks ago.
The 71-year-old pontiff landed in the Uruguayan capital after a 13-hour flight from Rome, Al Jazeera reported. Crowds gathered along the Montevideo seafront to chant his name as his Popemobile made its way through the streets, according to BBC News. Leo then addressed a crowd assembled in Plaza Independencia before finishing his first day in the country with a prayer service at the Montevideo Cathedral.
The journey follows weeks of uncertainty surrounding the pontiff’s physical condition after doctors discovered a malignant nodule in his chest, leading to concerns that his planned November tour could be delayed.
Health status and voting remarks on the papal plane
Speaking to reporters during the flight from Rome, Leo pushed back against concerns that he was not well enough to handle the three-nation trip. He confirmed he felt in good condition and said he never hesitated about making the journey.
Leo also addressed becoming the first sitting pope to cast a ballot in an American election, having submitted a mail-in vote in his hometown of Chicago, CBS News reported. The pontiff, who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru, said he had long believed in taking part in democratic processes. He declined to give his thoughts on the outcome of the midterm elections, which resulted in Democrats securing control of Congress.
The Associated Press noted that the pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, previously cast ballots in five primary contests in the United States since 2000, participating in Democratic primaries in 2008 and 2019 and Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Leo said he had wanted to vote in the most recent Peruvian election as well, but was unable to do so because absentee voting was unavailable.
Recovery from lung cancer surgery
Doctors detected Leo’s lung adenocarcinoma by accident during a routine abdominal checkup in October. On Oct. 13, surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung at a hospital in Rome. Leo left the hospital four days later after physicians determined the operation had concluded without complications and the cancer had not spread.
Medical staff declared Leo fit to resume travel on Oct. 26 after he finished a required two-week recovery period. The Vatican confirmed that no special medical setups were installed for the flight beyond standard equipment carried on papal journeys. Vatican communications chief Maria Montserrat Alvarado reported that Leo’s stamina was strong and that he had been singing, which she described as proof of healthy lung capacity.
In his opening address in Montevideo, the pope pointed to his own medical care to call for healthcare systems that are open to everyone. He told listeners in Plaza Independencia that receiving timely treatment caused him to reflect on the large numbers of people across the world who lack the resources to secure an early medical diagnosis or care.
What happens next on the regional itinerary
The visit to Uruguay marks the start of a three-day schedule across a country regarded as the most secular in the region. Leo’s calendar includes an appearance in a neighborhood dealing with gang conflict, followed by outdoor masses in Paysandu, located roughly 230 miles from Montevideo, and in Florida, about 60 miles outside the capital. Cardinal Daniel Sturla, the archbishop of Montevideo, noted that passes for both masses quickly ran out.
On Sunday, Leo departs Uruguay for Argentina, the native country of his predecessor Pope Francis, who did not visit the nation during his own pontificate.
The final leg of the tour brings Leo back to Peru, where he spent nearly two decades working as a missionary and later as a bishop. During that stop, the pontiff is scheduled to visit the Amazon rainforest and the historic city of Cusco, as well as pay a private visit to a chapel he helped reconstruct in his former diocese of Chiclayo.
