RismadarVoice Reporters
August 5, 2026
Pope Leo XIV will embark on his first official visit to Latin America as head of the Catholic Church in November, with scheduled stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the Vatican has announced.
The 12-day apostolic journey, which will take place from November 6 to 17, will mark the pontiff’s return to Peru, where he spent decades serving as a missionary and later as bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo.
According to the Vatican, Pope Leo will begin the tour in Uruguay, visiting Montevideo, Paysandu and Florida from November 6 to 8 before travelling to Argentina, where he is expected to visit Buenos Aires, Cordoba and the Marian pilgrimage site of Lujan between November 8 and 11.
The final leg of the visit will take him to Peru from November 11 to 17, with scheduled visits to Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa. The Vatican said additional details of the itinerary will be released closer to the trip.
The visit to Chiclayo is expected to be one of the most significant moments of the tour. Although born in Chicago, Pope Leo first arrived in Peru in 1985 as a missionary and spent much of the following three decades serving the country’s Catholic community.
In 2014, the late Pope Francis appointed him bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo. He became a Peruvian citizen the following year and led the diocese until 2023.
Following his election as pope in 2025, Pope Leo paid tribute to the people of Chiclayo during his inaugural address, prompting celebrations across the city, where residents proudly hailed him as their “Pope from Chiclayo.”
The Argentina visit also carries historical significance, as it will be the first papal visit to the country since Pope John Paul II travelled there in 1987. Pope Francis, despite being Argentine, never returned to his homeland during his 12-year papacy.
The tour will also mark the first papal visit to Uruguay in nearly four decades.
Latin America remains home to the world’s largest Catholic population, although the Church has experienced a steady decline in followers across the region in recent decades amid the growth of evangelical Christian movements.
Before his South American tour, Pope Leo is scheduled to visit France in late September. Since becoming pontiff, he has also travelled to several African countries and Spain as part of his expanding international pastoral mission.
