Pope Leo XIV faces packed 19,000-mile South American tour
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Pope Leo XIV will travel more than 19,000 miles on 14 flights during a 12-day visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November, in what will be his longest international journey since becoming pontiff. The Vatican has released a detailed itinerary for the November 6–17 trip, which will take Leo to 10 cities and include around 50 events and 36 speeches.
The journey will be Leo’s first visit to Latin America as pope and comes with particular significance in each country. He will be the first pope to visit Uruguay since John Paul II in 1988, while his visit to Argentina will be the first by a pontiff since John Paul II travelled there in 1987. Although Pope Francis was Argentine, he never returned to his homeland during his 12-year pontificate.
Peru will be the longest stage of the trip and carries a more personal significance for Leo. Born in Chicago, he spent around two decades working in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop and holds Peruvian citizenship. He served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023, and the itinerary includes a return to the city as well as visits to Lima, Cusco and Pucallpa.
The schedule includes nine public Masses, meetings with political and civic leaders, visits to a prison and several religious sites, as well as a helicopter flight to the Andes. The Vatican’s published flight schedule includes a 14-hour journey from Rome to Montevideo and a return flight from Lima lasting almost 15 hours.
