Leo departed Rome’s Fiumicino airport early Friday and arrived in Uruguay on Friday afternoon for the first papal visit to the country since 1988. After takeoff, Leo told reporters aboard the plane that he had no doubt he would make the trip. “I know that some people had doubts about making this trip. I confess that from the first day I had no doubts,” he said. “I was convinced that this journey had to go forward and very happy to say, praise the Lord and thanks to the wonderful medical assistants, I think I am here today in pretty good shape.” When asked if he had any advice for other people facing cancer, Leo replied: “Don’t be afraid, early detection is obviously the best way to go, regular check-ups and self-care.” Leo also noted that “trust in God, good doctors, good surgeons and, above all, a healthy lifestyle” had contributed to his quick recovery. Leo, who is the first Pope to vote in an American election, was also asked about the importance of voting. “I am proud to be an American and to exercise my right,” he said. Considered the most secular country in the region, where only a fraction of people go to mass regularly, Uruguay was the first in the world to legalize marijuana for recreational use and the second country in Latin America to decriminalize abortion. In October 2025, the country of just 3.5 million inhabitants became the first in the region to approve legislation for assisted dying despite strong opposition from the Catholic Church. After Uruguay, Leo’s tour will take him to Argentina for three days, where he is expected to meet with right-wing President Javier Milei, a close ally of President Donald Trump. Pope John Paul II blesses a sick girl in Argentina in 1987. Derrick Ceyrac / AFP via Getty It will be the first papal visit to Argentina since Pope John Paul II traveled to the country in 1987. Leon’s immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, was born in Argentina, the region’s first pontiff, but he declined numerous invitations to return to his homeland. The biggest crowds of the trip will likely come next week during his six-day visit to Peru, where Leo is widely celebrated as a beloved national figure. He will make a stop in the capital, Lima, before visiting his former diocese of Chiclayo, where he was ordained bishop in 2014 and remained until taking up a position at the Vatican in 2023. Leo, who was treated last month for lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, will also make several high-altitude visits in the Peruvian Andes. additional treatments; Bruni said Leo had recovered enough that no additional medical measures were necessary during his trip. Speaking at the same briefing on Tuesday, Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the Vatican’s new communications chief, said Leo was grateful for concerns about his health and the demands the trip could place on him. But, he said, he was “very excited” to make the trip.
