Montevideo – Pope Leo XIV, drawing on his recent experience of illness and hospitalization following lung cancer surgery, made a passionate call this Friday for universal access to healthcare, greater social equality and a society that does not measure the value of people by their productivity or wealth. “I have recently experienced firsthand the limitations imposed by the disease and have received care for which I am grateful,” the Pope said in his first speech after his arrival in Uruguay, before the country’s political and civic leaders. Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital four days after removing a cancerous tumor from his right lung. “The experience made me think about so many men and women who lack the means to get a timely diagnosis or receive the treatment they need.” “Ensuring that health care is accessible to all, regardless of their resources, is a duty facing every society,” he said. Uruguay is the first stop on a 12-day trip that also includes Argentina and Peru. Leo’s doctors said he did not need further treatment after his operation and he was allowed to travel. The travel schedule is the longest international trip of his pontificate so far, with 19,000 miles of travel, 14 flights, 36 speeches and approximately 50 events. Vatican officials told reporters before the trip that the pope would travel with a medical team, as is customary on papal trips, but that no special measures were being taken. “We are talking about a 71-year-old person who is in good health,” the Vatican spokesman said. The trip to Latin America is León’s first return as pope to the country and region that has profoundly shaped his vision, and where he spent decades of his life, first as an Augustinian missionary and then as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. The Pope has American and Peruvian citizenship. MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY – NOVEMBER 6: Pope Leo XIV looks on during a welcome ceremony at Plaza Independencia as part of an official visit to Uruguay. Enzo Santos / MB Media / Getty Images Leo’s comments on caring for the sick were part of a broad call for a society where the most vulnerable are protected and where economic development benefits everyone and not just the elite. “Wealth creation and economic initiative… must also be translated into goods and opportunities that effectively reach everyone,” Leo said. While praising Uruguay for four decades of uninterrupted democracy, he stressed that a country’s success is ultimately measured by how it protects human dignity and cares for the most vulnerable in society. Leo also spoke out in defense of children, including the unborn. Abortion was legalized in Uruguay in 2012, making it one of the first Latin American countries to do so. “Their absolute dependence on their mother does not diminish the dignity to which they are entitled or the protection they deserve,” the Pope said. Children, he said, must have access to quality education and opportunities to enter the workforce and achieve personal independence. Referring to a topic that is very close to him, he said that technological advances and artificial intelligence must serve human beings and not replace workers. Leo will remain in Uruguay until Sunday when he will continue his trips to Argentina and Peru. The Vatican spokesman said Leo would address a variety of issues there, including the environment, weapons tracking and political instability. The Pope will also meet with survivors of clerical sexual abuse, but no further details are available at this time. More from CBS News Go deeper with The Free Press in:
