Pope Leo XIV will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in his first Latin American trip as pontiff

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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will make his first trip to Latin America as pontiff in November, returning to a region where he spent much of his ministry, with visits to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the Vatican announced Wednesday.

The Nov. 6-17 trip will include stops in Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida in Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján in Argentina; and Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa in Peru.

The visit is especially significant because of Leo’s longstanding ties to Peru. The first U.S.-born pope spent decades there as a missionary and church leader and served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. He also holds Peruvian citizenship.

His return to Chiclayo, the diocese he led before his election, is expected to be one of the key moments of the trip.

Leo will also visit Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, late Pope Francis. Despite repeated invitations, Francis, the first Latin American pope, never returned to Argentina during his 12-year papacy.

The Vatican said Leo will be in Uruguay from Nov. 6-8, Argentina from Nov. 8-11 and Peru from Nov. 11-17. A detailed itinerary will be released later.

The Latin America trip will follow Leo’s Sept. 25-28 visit to France, his first trip to the country as pope and part of an increasingly active travel schedule in the early months of his pontificate.