Pope Leo XIV begins South American tour starting in Uruguay

Pope Leo XIV began an 11-day tour of South America in Uruguay, where he will visit three countries.

The pontiff, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, starts his journey in a nation known for its strict separation of church and state. In Uruguay, the Pope will attend a mass at the Basilica of Florida to conclude a traditional pilgrimage of gauchos, who are rural horsemen, honoring the country's patron saint.

The Pope will then travel to Argentina, the home country of his predecessor, Pope Francis. While the previous pontiff avoided visiting Argentina to prevent his presence from being politicized, Leo XIV arrives during a period of widening wealth inequality. Anthropologist Pablo Sernan notes that the visit is diplomatically sensitive because the Pope advocates for social justice while President Javier Milei pursues a libertarian agenda that rejects such social policies.

The tour concludes in Peru, where the Pope will return to a region where he served as a missionary and bishop of Chiclayo for nearly 21 years. While the Peruvian government seeks a peaceful visit to maintain stability, the Pope plans to engage with survivors of abuse and meet with indigenous people from remote areas of the Amazon. The Pope previously worked with migrants and supported journalists investigating church power structures and abuse.