Carolina Bellocq
The Vatican has confirmed the dates for Pope Leo XIV's long-awaited trip to his second homeland. From November 6th to 17th, he will visit Uruguay and Argentina, where no pope has traveled in nearly 40 years.
The pope will be in Uruguay from the 6th to the 8th of November. He will visit the city of Paysandú, before touring ministries in the neighborhood of Casavalle, and attending a gathering at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium. The next day he will travel to the city of Florida to celebrate the feast of the nation's patroness, Our Lady of the Thirty-Three.
He will then travel to Argentina, from the 8th to 11th of November. The Pope is scheduled to visit Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján, where the basilica is dedicated to the country's patroness.
Both countries have gone decades without a papal visit. Uruguay last welcomed Pope John Paul II in 1988, and for Argentina, it's been even longer: the 1987 World Youth day to be exact.
The longest stop will be in Peru, where the pope, known then as Robert Prevost, lived for 20 years. He will spend 7 days in Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa.
Eight years after Pope Francis's visit in 2018, Peru welcomes not just another pope, but a missionary who made Peru his home, became a Peruvian citizen and served as a bishop there.
This will be Pope Leo XIV's 7th international trip and his 10th time leaving the Vatican since the start of his papacy. It will also be his longest journey so far, surpassing his 10 day trip to Africa and his 6 day visit to Spain.
