Pope Leo XIV will travel more than 19,000 miles across 14 flights during an apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6–17, 2026. The Vatican announced a packed agenda featuring nearly 50 events, nine public Masses, and specific national mottos for each country on the itinerary.
Uruguay Leg and the Centenary Stadium Vigil
Pope Leo begins his November tour by departing Rome on Nov. 6 at 7:50 a.m. Rome time, landing later that afternoon at Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport in Uruguay according to the Holy See Press Office schedule. Set to become the first pontiff to visit Uruguay since St. John Paul II traveled there in 1988, Leo maintains a busy three-day schedule in the country through Nov. 8.
Uruguay represents the region’s lowest share of Christians at 44% of the population, according to the Pew Research Center. The Vatican chose I bring you news of great joy
as the national motto, drawn from the angel’s announcement to the shepherds in the Gospel of Luke. The official logo features Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, the country’s patroness.
After an official welcome at Plaza Independencia, a meeting with President Yamandú Orsi at the Edificio José Artigas, and vespers at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Sts. Philip and James, Leo travels to Paysandú on Nov. 7 to celebrate Mass at Parque París Londres. He returns to Montevideo the same evening for a prayer vigil at the Centenary Stadium, which hosted the first FIFA World Cup in 1930.
Argentina Itinerary and Meetings With Javier Milei
Crossing into Argentina on Nov. 8, Leo becomes the first pope to visit the country since 1987. He lands at Jorge Newbery Airpark at 4:30 p.m., visits a war monument, and holds an evening meeting with right-wing libertarian President Javier Milei, whom Reuters describes as a close ally to U.S. President Donald Trump. Argentina’s national motto for the visit is Bienvenidos todos. Vayan y anuncien,
translated as Welcome everyone. Go and proclaim,
accompanied by a logo showing stylized human figures in Argentine sky blue.
The Argentine leg includes stops in Córdoba and Luján alongside Buenos Aires. On Nov. 9, Leo visits the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione de Claypole—the country’s largest institution for people with disabilities—before celebrating Mass at the Monumento de los Españoles and meeting interfaith leaders at the Palacio San Martín. His itinerary also features a visit to a federal prison complex in Buenos Aires, an outdoor Mass at the Military Aviation School in Córdoba, and a final Argentine Mass on Nov. 11 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján.
Peru Homecoming and Andean Helicopter Flight
The longest portion of the tour brings Pope Leo back to Peru from Nov. 11–17, returning to the land where he arrived as an Augustinian missionary in 1985, later obtaining Peruvian citizenship and serving as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. Upon arriving in Lima on Nov. 11, the pope meets with President Keiko Fujimori and addresses the diplomatic corps. The Peruvian visit carries the motto Let us open our hearts,
reflected in a logo featuring a red heart framing a map of Peru surrounded by saints including St. Rose of Lima and St. Turibius of Mogrovejo.
Leo’s travel across Peru involves demanding logistics, including a military helicopter flight on Nov. 14 to the high-altitude Andean town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, which sits at more than 6,000 feet. He will also celebrate Mass near the Pampas de Pimentel in Chiclayo, at a sports complex in Pucallpa within the Amazon rainforest, and at the Las Palmas Air Base outside Lima.
Scale Compared to Past Tours
The journey spans roughly 19,000 miles across 14 flights, making it Pope Leo’s longest international trip to date. The opening flight from Rome to Montevideo exceeds 14 hours and 6,900 miles, while the return flight from Lima to Rome spans 6,700 miles. By comparison, Leo traveled 11,000 miles over 11 days during his earlier 2026 tour to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.
The agenda matches or exceeds the intensity of past papal outings. The late Pope Francis undertook a 12-day tour across Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore in September 2024 covering nearly 33,000 kilometers, though Francis operated under constrained health using a wheelchair and held roughly 30 events. Leo, aged 71 and traveling in good health, has packed nearly 50 distinct events and 36 speeches into his South American itinerary.
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