Pontiff’s 12-day November trip marks emotional return to Peru and first papal visit to Argentina in nearly 40 years

Pope Leo XIV will return to Peru in November as part of his first pastoral tour of Latin America since becoming pontiff, the Vatican announced on Wednesday.

The 12-day visit, scheduled for November 6 to 17, will take him to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The pope is expected to spend November 11 to 17 in Peru, where he served for nearly two decades as a missionary and bishop.

The pontiff will begin the trip in Uruguay before travelling to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis. The visit will mark the first papal trip to Argentina in almost 40 years.

During the tour, Pope Leo XIV is expected to hold official meetings with Argentine President Javier Milei and Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi as part of his state engagements.

In Peru, the pope will visit Lima, Cusco, Pucallpa and his former diocese of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023. The planned visit has generated excitement across the country, with the Peruvian Episcopal Conference urging Catholics to prepare spiritually.

Residents of Chiclayo have described the pope’s return as a homecoming, hailing him as a leader they consider one of their own.

Born Robert Prevost in the United States, Pope Leo XIV first arrived in Peru in 1985 as an Augustinian missionary. He worked in Chulucanas and Trujillo before later leading the Diocese of Chiclayo. A naturalised Peruvian citizen, he became known for his hands-on pastoral leadership, advocacy for the poor, and efforts to address sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

The Latin American tour also carries diplomatic and historical significance. The visit to Argentina fulfils a milestone left unrealised during Pope Francis’ 13-year papacy, while Pope Leo XIV’s longstanding experience in the region is expected to shape his engagements with leaders across countries facing complex political and social challenges.

His return to Peru is expected to be one of the most emotional moments of the tour, reflecting his deep ties to the country where much of his pastoral ministry was formed and reaffirming the Vatican’s commitment to strengthening the Catholic Church’s presence across Latin America.