MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV pressed political leaders for universal healthcare access and urged tens of thousands of worshippers to serve as societal bridge builders, marking his first international journey since undergoing surgery for lung cancer last month.
The 71-year-old pontiff arrived in Uruguay on Friday to begin an ambitious 12-day tour across South America that also includes stops in Argentina and Peru. The voyage covers roughly 19,000 travel miles across 14 flights and includes dozens of planned events, representing the most demanding travel schedule of his papacy.
Personal Illness Informs Call for Care
Addressing Uruguayan political and civic figures upon his arrival in Montevideo, the pope reflected on his recent hospitalization to urge governments worldwide to guarantee medical services for every citizen, CBS News reported.
“Recently I experienced firsthand the limitations imposed by illness and I received care for which I am grateful,” Leo told the audience. Doctors removed a cancerous growth from his right lung on Oct. 13 at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, discharging him after four days and eventually clearing him for travel without recommending additional treatment.
Leo noted that his personal medical ordeal highlighted the struggles of poorer individuals who cannot afford rapid tests or standard treatments. “Ensuring that healthcare is accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources, is a duty that confronts every society,” he said.
The American-born pope, who holds dual Peruvian citizenship and previously served as an Augustinian missionary and bishop in Peru, linked healthcare access to a wider plea for economic systems that shield vulnerable populations. He praised Uruguay for upholding democratic stability across four decades while insisting that national achievement must be judged by how well human dignity is guarded.
Leo also defended the dignity of unborn children in a nation that legalized abortion in 2012, urged access to quality education, and cautioned that emerging artificial intelligence tools should assist laborers rather than eliminate jobs, CBS News reported.
Mass on the Argentine Border
On Saturday, Leo traveled roughly 230 miles northwest of the capital to the border city of Paysandú, where an estimated 40,000 people gathered at Parque París Londres despite rain and gray skies, according to ABC News and Al Jazeera. Many attendees crossed from neighboring Argentina via the nearby General Artigas International Bridge.
During his homily, the pontiff cited that physical crossing to urge Catholics to reject division and embrace connection. “It is not difficult to imagine the benefits a bridge brings: openness, communication and exchange. That is why it is so important to be builders of bridges,” he told the crowd.
Leo also drew an analogy to mate, the traditional herbal drink consumed from a shared gourd and metal straw across the River Plate basin. He described the shared beverage as a lesson in community and fraternity that could inspire believers to sustain their faith within South America’s most secular country, home to 3.5 million residents.
Outreach to Marginalized Communities
Later Saturday afternoon, the pontiff walked among corrugated metal dwellings in Casavalle, an impoverished neighborhood on the northern edge of Montevideo troubled by drug trafficking and gang violence, Al Jazeera reported. While visiting church-supported community housing and rehabilitation initiatives, Leo embraced a mother who wept while describing her experience of homelessness, urging Uruguayans to abandon apathy toward poverty.
The pontiff was scheduled to conclude Saturday with an evening prayer vigil at Montevideo’s Centenary Stadium before flying Sunday to Argentina. During his upcoming stops in Buenos Aires, Luján and Córdoba, Leo is scheduled to meet Argentine President Javier Milei. He will finish the tour in Peru, where his agenda includes environmental discussions and sessions with clerical sexual abuse survivors.
