Pope Leo XIV South America trip, Digi Mart USA News: Pope Leo XIV begins an eleven-day tour of South America in Uruguay today, a trip that will also take him to the homeland of his predecessor and to Peru, where he once served as a missionary and bishop.
Uruguay, one of the most secular countries in Latin America, is the opening stop. Church and state were clearly separated there in the early twentieth century, and the Catholic Church is a minority institution.
Local Catholics, including those on an annual horseback pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, are preparing to welcome the pontiff at the final Mass in the basilica in Florida.
The visit to Argentina is expected to be diplomatically sensitive. Pope Francis never visited his homeland as pope, reportedly to avoid having his presence politically exploited in a polarized country.
Pope Leo’s visit comes as the gap between rich and poor widens under the austerity policies of libertarian President Javier Milei, and analysts expect friction between the Church’s emphasis on social justice and the government’s approach.
In Peru, the final stop, the pope will return to a country where he worked for about 21 years as Robert Francis Prevost, including as bishop of Chiclayo. Peru is also deeply polarized, as shown by the narrow election victory of President Keiko Fujimori.
Observers note that the Church wants the visit to unfold calmly, while the pope’s record suggests a focus on social responsibility, migrants, natural disaster relief and support for journalists who investigated abuse and church power.
The trip also includes planned meetings with abuse survivors and with Indigenous communities from remote Amazon regions. Across the Pampas, the Andes and the Pacific coast, the visit is framed by hopes that the pope can help bridge divides in societies facing deep social fractures.
