Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday to begin a 12-day tour of South America, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery that had cast doubt over whether the trip would happen at all.
The 71-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church landed in Montevideo after a 13-hour flight from Rome and told reporters travelling with him that he feels "fairly good".
"I know some people were doubtful about this trip taking place," Leo said on board the papal plane. "I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward. And I am very happy to say praise the Lord and thanks to wonderful medical assistance, I'm here today, I think in fairly good shape."
The journey will take the pope through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, a schedule described as one of the most intense papal foreign trips in decades.
Leo is due to spend three days in Uruguay, the least Catholic and most secular country in the region. His itinerary includes a visit to a neighbourhood affected by heavy gang violence, a mass in Paysandu, about 375 kilometres from Montevideo, and another mass in the city of Florida, roughly 100 kilometres from the capital.
Cardinal Daniel Sturla, the archbishop of Montevideo, told the AFP news agency there was "widespread interest in the pope's visit that goes well beyond the confines of the Catholic Church", and said tickets for the masses in Paysandu and Florida had quickly run out.
The tour has the character of a homecoming for Leo, who spent almost two decades as a missionary in Peru and formed a deep attachment to the continent. The trip is set to end in Peru in three weeks, with stops in the former Inca capital of Cusco and the Amazon rainforest. He will also return privately to his old diocese of Chiclayo to visit a chapel he helped rebuild.
Speaking on Wednesday, Leo said he was looking forward to returning to a region "so dear to me". The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics said he hoped the visit would "strengthen faith, renew hope, and rekindle the fire of charity" in countries facing rising inequality and violence, along with a decline in Catholic followers.
Leo underwent an operation on October 13 to remove a cancerous tumour. Doctors have since cleared him to travel, and the Vatican said no special medical measures were needed beyond the standard care provided on papal trips.
Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the Vatican's new communications chief, said the pope had passed the 14-day convalescence period required by his doctors and was eager to travel. "His stamina is fantastic. The way that he's singing is incredible. And you can only sing if your lungs are really strong," she said.
