Pope Leo XIV Begins South American Tour After Cancer Surgery

Pope Leo XIV began an 11-day, 12-flight tour of South America on November 6, 2026, marking his first major international trip following cancer surgery. The visit serves as a geopolitical test of the Pope's relationship with the region's ascendant right-wing populist leaders.

In Argentina, the Pope is scheduled to visit a care home for the disabled affected by President Javier Milei's austerity measures and meet with trade unionists. In Peru, he returns to his former missionary home while President Keiko Fujimori conducts an intensified military campaign against cartels. The itinerary also includes a stop in Uruguay, where the Pope is expected to address secularism and the legalization of euthanasia.

Throughout the tour, the Pope aims to balance support for citizen security with advocacy for the rule of law, migrants' rights, and the welfare state. He must navigate these priorities while managing tensions with the United States' Donroe Doctrine security strategy under Donald Trump.