Pope Leo XIV to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November
Leo XIV will visit the three countries from November 6 to 17, 2026, on his first trip to South America as pope, with seven million people expected to turn out in Argentina alone
Pope Leo XIV will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, 2026, his first trip to South America as pope. Seven million people are expected to turn out in Argentina alone. The Peru leg takes him back to the country where he served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023.
The visit to Argentina will be the first by a pope in almost 40 years, since St. John Paul II traveled there in 1987. Up to seven million faithful are expected to take part in the scheduled events. The itinerary, published by the Holy See, covers 10 cities and includes pastoral meetings, liturgical celebrations and times of prayer over 11 days.
Argentina is the homeland of Pope Francis, who never returned to the country after his election.
Argentina: November 8 to 11
Leo XIV will land at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, the airport in central Buenos Aires, at 4:30 p.m. on November 8. His first engagement will be a tribute to General José de San Martín, the Argentine independence leader, in the square that bears his name. He will then attend a welcome ceremony at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace, where he will meet President Javier Milei, and later address government officials and members of the diplomatic corps at the Palacio Libertad.
On November 9, the pope will visit the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, where he will meet staff and people with disabilities. At 11:30 a.m. he will celebrate Mass at the Monumento de los Españoles. In the afternoon he will attend a meeting with the world of work at the Universidad Católica Argentina (Catholic University of Argentina), an interreligious dialogue at the Palacio San Martín and vespers at the Metropolitan Cathedral.
On November 10, the pope will travel to Córdoba to celebrate Mass on the grounds of the Escuela de Aviación Militar, the military aviation school, and to meet the pastoral community at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. He will return to Buenos Aires to lead a prayer vigil with young people at the Monumento de los Españoles.
On his last day in Argentina, November 11, Leo XIV will visit a federal prison complex and celebrate Mass in the square in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján. The motto for this leg is "Welcome, all of you. Go and proclaim." He will be seen off at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza.
Peru: November 11 to 17
Leo XIV holds Peruvian citizenship and spent two decades in the country as a priest and bishop, serving as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. Over six days he will visit Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa.
About one million people are expected at a Mass in the Pampas de Pimentel. Leo XIV will also meet grassroots groups in Cusco and honor indigenous peoples in Pucallpa, where he will celebrate Mass in the Peruvian Amazon. The motto for this leg is "Let us open our hearts," an invitation to renew the faith and build fraternity.
Uruguay: November 6 to 8
The trip begins in Uruguay, where Leo XIV will stay from November 6 to 8. He will visit Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida, leading a prayer vigil at the Estadio Centenario and celebrating Mass at the National Shrine of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, on the feast of the country's patroness. The motto for this leg is "I proclaim to you a great joy," taken from the angel's announcement to the shepherds in the Gospel of Luke.
The Argentine government has been working on the preparations together with the Argentine Bishops' Conference and the apostolic nunciature.
Based on reporting by Almudena Buenadicha for Iglesia Noticias. This article was translated and adapted from Spanish with the help of artificial intelligence.
