The detailed itinerary for Pope Leo XIV's first visit to Latin America as Pope was published today. This trip, scheduled from November 6 to 17, marks the Pope's return to his roots, as he was born in the United States but also holds Peruvian citizenship and spent two decades in Peru serving as a priest and bishop.
As shown during his visit to four African countries in April, Leo XIV, who is now 71 years old, is not afraid to travel long distances and work late during journeys. In total, during this trip, he will cover just over 31,000 kilometers in the air, which is almost double the 17,000 kilometers he traveled visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.
The visit will begin in Uruguay, allowing the Pope to celebrate an important Catholic holiday on November 8 dedicated to the country's patroness, Our Lady of Thirty-three. The small statue of the Virgin belongs to 18th-century Jesuit missions in the region and is currently located in Florida, where Leo XIV will celebrate mass at the National Shrine.
His predecessor, Argentine Pope Francis (2013–2025), the first head of the Catholic Church born on the American continent, never returned to Argentina after becoming Pope.
In the second phase of the trip, Leo XIV will celebrate the patroness of Argentina, Our Lady of Juan, whose statue in the city of Juan, Buenos Aires province, was particularly dear to Francis. The Argentine Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who passed away in 2025, surprised both friends and critics by never returning to his native Argentina after leaving for Rome for the 2013 conclave, which elected him as the 266th head of the Catholic Church.
He was a controversial figure in his home country, both as a Jesuit leader and as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and seemingly wished to avoid escalating political disputes in the country by not granting any political advantages to the ruling party related to the papal visit.
However, Leo XIV appears ready to finally organize a Papal visit for Argentinian believers, which would be the first such visit since John Paul II's visits in 1982 and 1987.
In Buenos Aires, Leo will visit a federal prison—perhaps in recognition of Francis's legacy in prison pastoral care, a work he began when he served as a 'slum parish priest' in the Argentine capital.
The culmination of Leo XIV's trip will undoubtedly be the return to Peru, specifically to his diocese of Chiclayo. Robert Prevozt was the Bishop of Chiclayo from 2014 to 2023, when Pope Francis took him to the Vatican to lead the Dicastery for Bishops.
On the night of his election, the new Pope addressed the 'beloved Diocese of Chiclayo' in Spanish from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, praising the faithful for 'walking alongside their bishop, sharing the faith, and giving much to continue being a Church faithful to Jesus Christ.'
Leo XIV will spend most of his time in Peru; he arrives in Lima on November 11 and departs on the evening of the 16th, after the final mass in Callao, near Lima, where he served as acting administrator.
During this period, he will spend some time in Chiclayo, including a private dinner with the diocesan priests.
On November 15, he will meet groups of citizens in Cusco, in the Peruvian Andes, to mark the rich history of the city. Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and an important city during Spanish colonial rule; today it remains a significant cultural destination featuring ruins such as Machu Picchu.
On the same day, he will also acknowledge respect for the indigenous peoples of Peru by traveling to Pucallpa, in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon jungle, to celebrate mass.