Anticipation for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to South America is building as Peru’s president-elect pledged state cooperation and Uruguay’s Church officials announced logistical plans for the U.S.-born pontiff’s return to the region as pope.
In a statement released July 16, the Peruvian bishops’ conference said it had welcomed Keiko Fujimori, whose victory in the country’s presidential election was declared July 4.
Fujimori met with Bishop Carlos García Camader of Lurín, president of the Peruvian bishops’ conference, as well as Bishop Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco of Callao and Msgr. Guillermo Inca Pereda, vice president and acting secretary general of the conference, respectively.
According to the statement, the bishops discussed several topics, including the papal visit “scheduled for November of this year.”
“At the end of the meeting, the president-elect expressed her satisfaction with the confirmation of the Holy Father’s visit and stated the future government’s willingness to coordinate with the Church the necessary actions to contribute to the development of this important pastoral event,” the bishops’ conference said.
The president-elect, the conference said, emphasized the importance of ensuring that the pope will “meet with as many faithful and communities as possible” during his visit and that doing so will strengthen “the message of hope, unity and closeness that characterizes his ministry.”
While the Vatican has not officially announced the visit, some details of the trip were revealed in June by the outgoing Peruvian president, José María Balcázar, after meeting with Pope Leo.
Balcázar said in a statement published after his June 18 meeting with the pope that the visit could span eight to 10 days in early November, with planned stops in Lima, Chiclayo, Piura, Pucallpa and Cusco.
Uruguay prepares for Pope Leo
In May, Uruguay’s bishops’ conference said that while no official date has been announced, there was a “high probability” Pope Leo would visit in late 2026.
However, at a working breakfast with journalists hosted by the conference July 15, Cardinal Daniel Sturla of Montevideo said the official schedule of the visit would be confirmed by the Vatican in late July.
“Almost 40 years ago, we experienced the unforgettable visit of St. John Paul II. Now we welcome Pope Leo with enormous anticipation. It is a joy for the Church, but also for all of Uruguay,” the cardinal said.
The pope, he noted, is “a figure who transcends,” and that his visit is not just significant for Catholics but for all people in Uruguay and around the world.
“We saw it at Francis’s funeral and at the beginning of Leo XIV’s pontificate, where heads of state and representatives from all over the world were present. In Uruguay, too, he will be a gift for the entire country,” Cardinal Sturla said.
The Uruguayan cardinal told journalists he had extended an invitation to Pope Leo to visit the country shortly after the papal election and noted that the pope had expressed his desire to
visit Uruguay and Argentina.
Pope Leo’s visit to the country, he said, would include stops in Montevideo, Florida, as well as a visit to the northern part of the country, with the city of Paysandú named as a possible destination.
Cardinal Sturla also told journalists that the pope could also visit Casavalle Basin, a marginalized district on the outskirts of Montevideo, where the Catholic Church runs several social programs.
The Archdiocese of Montevideo stated that while it awaits the Vatican’s official confirmation of the pope’s schedule, the local Church “continues to work with various public bodies and technical teams in organizing the visit, convinced that the pope’s arrival will be an opportunity to strengthen hope, encounter, and dialogue throughout the country.”
