Pope Leo XIV will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6-17 November, the Vatican said on Wednesday, in a return to the continent where the pontiff spent decades as a missionary.
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The pope, who was born Robert Francis Prevost in the US city of Chicago, lived for more than two decades in Peru, where he was a missionary and bishop in Chiclayo.
The northern city will be among the stops the head of the Roman Catholic Church will make in the Andean nation, along with the capital Lima, Cusco and Pucallpa.
The pope, who obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015, will visit the country from 11-17 November for the final portion of the trip.
The Apostolic journey, the sixth international trip of his pontificate, will start in Uruguay and continue in Argentina, marking the first official visit by a pontiff in almost 40 years to the two South American neighbours.
Pope Leo XIV’s predecessor, Francis, never returned to his home country of Argentina while pope.
The last pontiff to tour the nation was Pope John Paul II in 1987, followed by a trip to Uruguay in 1988. Pope Francis visited Peru in 2018.
The pope will visit Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida from 6-8 November in Uruguay and then head to Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Lujan in Argentina until 11 November.
Additional sources • AFP