Pope Leo urged South American countries on Friday to tackle regional issues together as he began a three-country, 12-day trip expected to draw millions across a Catholic stronghold facing sharp political divisions, Reuters reported. The pontiff arrived in Uruguay, one of Latin America's more stable democracies, for the first stop of a tour that will also take him to Argentina and Peru, in one of the most demanding overseas trips by a Catholic leader in decades. Leo was greeted by President Yamandu Orsi and two children bearing flowers after landing at Montevideo's Carrasco airport under partly cloudy skies, fresh off a 14-hour flight from Rome.

Source: Reuters

Later, addressing crowds the Vatican estimated numbered at least 30,000 people in Independence Square, Leo urged governments in South America to set an example for international cooperation. 'In an age when differences can easily become a source of conflict, persevering in respect for the law, negotiation and the patient search for agreements is a service that Uruguay can continue to offer its neighbors,' said Leo, who will visit three cities in Uruguay. The pope gave his first address outdoors in blustery conditions — which earlier blew his white skullcap off his head as he toured the crowds in a popemobile — and spoke in a firm, clear voice for 24 minutes.

Source: Reuters

A homecoming, one month after lung surgery

Leo, who is 71 and underwent lung cancer surgery last month, will take part in dozens of events across the three countries. The Vatican said this week the pope had completely healed from his operation and no special precautions were being taken for the tour. The pope, who was born in Chicago but spent decades in Peru and became a Peruvian citizen, considers the tour a 'homecoming to places where he spent a long time and to which he feels closely connected,' said Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni. Leo told journalists on his flight that he wished to share 'God's message of peace (and) goodwill for all people' during the trip, said he feels 'in fairly good shape' and that he never doubted he would go ahead with the tour, and said he had voted by mail in the US midterm elections because he is proud to be a US citizen. The Vatican said Leo was treated in October for lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, and that his doctors have said the disease was localized and he would not require any further treatments.

Source: Reuters / Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni

In his Montevideo address, Leo also called for a global economy that serves everyone, not just the world's richest, and renewed his warnings about the rapid development of AI, saying new technologies must not reduce workers 'to a mere expendable cog in the production process.' People from across Latin America waved flags from their countries in Montevideo's main square, where vendors sold key rings and other merchandise bearing images of the pope alongside Uruguay's blue and white colours. Pamela Gonzalez, 37, a lawyer who came with her mother and planned to attend Saturday's Mass, said Leo's visit carried particular weight in deeply secular Uruguay: 'He's an important political figure globally. It made me emotional that he's coming to a very secular country like Uruguay. It is important we are tolerant of everyone even if you don't practice the faith.'

Source: Reuters

A tour through a region in political turmoil

Leo, who has decried the direction of global leadership in recent months, will address governments in each of the three countries, lead outdoor Masses at major local sites, visit a prison in Argentina and head to remote Andean communities in Peru by helicopter. Bruni said the pope's speeches during the tour would address a range of issues facing the continent, including environmental destruction, arms trafficking and regional political instability. The backdrop is tense: in Brazil, which Leo flew over on his way to Uruguay, political tensions have deepened since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won reelection last month, and defeated challenger Flavio Bolsonaro left for the US accusing Lula's government of plotting a coup against him. The fallout has strained relations with Argentina, Leo's next destination, where President Javier Milei has refused to recognize Lula's victory. On Sunday, Leo will meet Milei, a libertarian seen as a close ally of US President Donald Trump, who lambasted Leo earlier this year after the pope criticized the Iran war. Peru, Leo's final destination, has cycled through eight presidents since 2016 amid impeachments, resignations and social unrest. Against that backdrop, Uruguayan officials have portrayed Leo's arrival as an opportunity to emphasize the country's tradition of democratic coexistence and institutional stability.

Source: Reuters

The itinerary runs from Uruguay (November 6-8: Montevideo, Paysandu and Florida) to Argentina (November 8-11: Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Lujan) and finally Peru (November 11-17: Lima, Chiclayo, Cuzco and Pucallpa), according to the Holy See Press Office. It is the first papal visit to Uruguay since St John Paul II travelled there in 1988, and a pope has not visited Argentina since the late 1980s — Leo's predecessor Francis, who was from Argentina, visited Peru in 2018 but never returned home. Argentine officials have said some 7 million people will attend events with Leo. Latin America has long been the world's largest Catholic region in absolute numbers, but the Church has been losing ground recently to fast-growing evangelical denominations. Local Catholic leaders hope Leo's visit can reenergize the faith across the region and help repair the Church's standing after abuse scandals; Leo will hold several meetings with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy during the trip, the Vatican has said.

Source: Holy See Press Office via Herald Malaysia / Reuters