Leo left Rome’s Fiumicino airport early Friday and arrived in Uruguay Friday afternoon for the first papal visit to the country since 1988.
After takeoff, Leo told reporters on board the plane that he had no doubt he intended to embark on the trip.
“I know that some people doubted that this trip would take place. I admit that from the first day, I had no doubts,” he said. “I was convinced that this trip had to go ahead and very happy to say, praise the Lord and thanks to wonderful medical assistants, I am here today, I think, in pretty good shape.”
When asked if he had any advice for others facing cancer, Leo said: “Don’t be afraid, early detection is obviously the best way to go, regular check-ups and take care of yourself. »
Leo also noted that “trust in God, good doctors, good surgeons, and overall a healthy lifestyle” contributed to his speedy recovery.
Leo, who is the first pope to vote in a US election, was also asked about the importance of the vote.
“I am proud to be an American and to exercise my law,” he said.
Considered the most secular country in the region, where only a fraction of the population regularly goes to mass, Uruguay was the first in the world to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes and the second country in Latin America to decriminalize abortion.
In October 2025, this country of just 3.5 million people became the first in the region to approve legislation on medical assistance in dying despite strong opposition from the Catholic Church.
After Uruguay, Leo’s tour will take him to Argentina for three days, where he is expected to meet with right-wing President Javier Milei, a close ally of President Donald Trump.
This will be the first papal visit to Argentina since Pope John Paul II visited the country in 1987.
Leo’s immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, was born in Argentina, the region’s first pontiff, but he declined many invitations to return to his native country.
The biggest crowds of the trip are likely to be next week during his six-day visit to Peru, where Leo is widely celebrated as a beloved national figure. He will stop in the capital, Lima, before visiting his former diocese of Chiclayo, where he was ordained bishop in 2014 and where he remained until taking office at the Vatican in 2023.
Leo, who was treated last month for lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, will also make several high-altitude visits to the Peruvian Andes.
Doctors said the disease was localized and would not require further treatment; Bruni said Leo has recovered enough that no additional medical measures are needed during his trip.
Speaking at the same news conference Tuesday, Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the Vatican’s new communications chief, said Leo was grateful for the concern over his health and the demands the trip might place on him.
But, she said, he was “so excited” to make the trip.
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