Pope Leo XIV will visit Argentina between November 8 and 11, the Vatican confirmed Wednesday.
The Catholic leader will travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru for a tour lasting November 6 to 17, the Vatican said, in a return to the continent where the pontiff spent decades as a missionary.
Leo, who obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015, will visit the country from November 11 to 17 for the final portion of the trip.
The Apostolic journey 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.
Leo's predecessor, Francis, never returned to his home country of Argentina while pope.
The last pontiff to tour the nation was John Paul II in 1987, followed by a trip to Uruguay in 1988. Francis visited Peru in 2018.
Leo will visit Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida from November 6 to 8 in Uruguay and then head to Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján in Argentina until November 11.
‘Historic event’
President Jaiver Milei’s government hailed confirmation of the Pope’s visit, describing it as a “historic event.”
“This is a historic event for our country and for all Argentines,” said Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno at a press conference, highlighting that it is the first visit by a pope in almost four decades.
Quirno confirmed the pontiff would visit Luján – a Catholic pilgrimage centre located some 70 kilometres from the capital in Buenos Aires Province – and Córdoba City in the centre of the country.
The foreign minister said the Holy See had requested discretion during the planning process and that an invitation had been extended by Argentina’s government.
“A new phase of work is beginning. Over the coming weeks, we will coordinate with the Holy See on logistics, security, protocol, transport and the general organisation,” he said.
As part of the visit, the Pope will meet with President Milei. The government will issue a decree declaring the visit “of national interest,” Quirno confirmed.
Asked about the government’s relationship with the Catholic Church, the foreign minister pointed out that the Pope’s trip “is a pastoral visit” and that “there are no ideological differences” that will come to the fore.
Jorge García Cuerva, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, has previously criticised the Milei government’s policies towards pensioners, the sick and the poorest members of society.
“President Milei is the Argentine president who has most strongly defended the right to life and, on a global scale, is the one who most publicly defends Western values and who has halved poverty in two and a half years,” claimed Quirno.
Vatican statement
"The Press director of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, informed on August 5 that the Holy Father Leo XIV will make an Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, 2026, accepting the invitation of the heads of state and the ecclesiastical authorities in the respective countries," read a statement.
"His Holiness will visit Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida from November 6 to 8, Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján from November 8 to 11 and Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa from November 11 to 17,” it added.
Indicating that "the programme of the journey will be made known in due course," the Vatican confirmed the tour will kick off on November 6 in Uruguay with the Pope moving onto Argentina on November 8.
The Supreme Pontiff will travel to Peru for the last and longest stage of his tour from November 11 to 17, staying for seven days as against the three scheduled for Uruguay and the four for Argentina.
– TIMES/AFP/NA