Pope Leo leaves on emotional South America tour weeks after surgery

Pope Leo XIV embarked on a significant trip to South America on Friday, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery. The 71-year-old head of the Catholic Church will visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, marking one of the most intense papal foreign trips in decades. Pope Leo XIV, whose roots in Peru give him a deep attachment to the continent, hopes the trip will renew faith, hope, and the fire of charity among the countries dealing with challenges such as inequality, violence, population decline, and the decline of Catholicism.

The Church's first US-born pope will meet political leaders, prisoners, the poor, and old friends during his visits. Despite his recent surgery, doctors have given him the all-clear to travel. In Uruguay, a country with the highest suicide rate in Latin America, Pope Leo XIV will meet with President Yamandu Orsi and discuss mental health, particularly in the Casavalle neighborhood known for extreme poverty and violence.

The trip also holds symbolic importance as Pope Leo XIV becomes the first Latin American pope to visit his predecessor's homeland, Argentina, and his former mission country, Peru.