VATICAN CITY – The Vatican confirmed Wednesday in an official announcement that Pope Leo XIV will embark on his first papal visit to Latin America this coming November, marking a homecoming of sorts to the region where he built decades of his ecclesiastical career. The 12-day journey, scheduled from November 6 to 17, will include stops in three South American nations: Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, with multiple cities set to welcome the pontiff across the three countries.
In Uruguay, Pope Leo’s itinerary will include public and private engagements in the capital Montevideo, as well as the smaller cities of Paysandú and Florida. He will then travel to Argentina from November 8 to 11, where he will visit Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and the major pilgrimage site Luján. The tour will conclude with a six-day stay in Peru from November 11 to 17, with stops in the capital Lima, northern coastal city Chiclayo, iconic Andean tourist hub Cusco, and Amazonian city Pucallpa. Vatican officials note a full, detailed breakdown of daily events and public appearances will be published at a later date.
This upcoming trip carries unique personal and symbolic weight for the first U.S.-born pontiff, who retains deep long-standing connections to Peru. Before his election to the papacy, Leo lived and worked in Peru for decades as a missionary and senior church leader, holding the position of Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 through 2023. He also holds dual Peruvian citizenship, making his return to the diocese he once led one of the most anticipated moments of the entire journey.
The visit to Argentina also carries notable historical context: it is the birthplace of Pope Francis, Leo’s immediate predecessor and the first pope to hail from Latin America. Despite receiving repeated invitations from government and church leaders to return to his home country during his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis never made the trip back to Argentina after his election in 2013.
The Latin American tour will follow hot on the heels of Pope Leo’s four-day visit to France, scheduled for September 25 to 28, which marks his first trip to the country as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. The back-to-back international visits highlight a notably active early travel schedule for the new pontiff just months into his papacy.
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