Pope Leo XIV in South America: Full Itinerary for Uruguay, Argentina and Peru (Nov 2026)

Eleven days, three countries, five flights inside South America, two helicopter hops and a Sunday that starts in Chiclayo, stops in Cusco and Pucallpa and ends in Lima. On November 6, 2026, Pope Leo XIV lands in Montevideo to begin the most intense trip of his pontificate so far, and on November 16 he flies home from the same Peru where he spent roughly two decades as a missionary and bishop.

The Holy See Press Office published the full program in September. Below is every stop, day by day, with official local times. We also flag which events are open to the public, which ones need registration and which happen behind closed doors, plus what to see near each stop if you travel to be there.

Trip status (updated October 17, 2026)

• On October 13, Pope Leo XIV had surgery at Rome's Gemelli hospital to remove the lower lobe of his right lung; the biopsy confirmed a lung adenocarcinoma.
• He was discharged on October 17 and returned to the Vatican. His public audiences remain suspended until October 20.
• The Holy See still lists the November 6–17 trip on its official program, but Cardinal Parolin said it depends on his recovery. Changes, a shorter route or a postponement are possible.
• If you plan to travel, book refundable options and check the Vatican Press Office before you go.

The Big Picture

• Uruguay (Nov 6–8): Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida.
• Argentina (Nov 8–11): Buenos Aires, Claypole, Córdoba and Luján.
• Peru (Nov 11–16): Lima, Callao, Chiclayo, Pimentel, Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Cusco and Pucallpa.
• Return: departure from Callao at 13:45 on Nov 16, arrival in Rome on Nov 17 at 10:25.

All times below are local and come from the official Vatican program. Programs can shift: check the local bishops' conference a few days before each event.

Uruguay: November 6–8

Friday, November 6 (Montevideo). The papal plane lands at Carrasco airport at 16:30. The welcome ceremony takes place at 17:30 in Plaza Independencia, followed by a meeting with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps (17:45), a visit to President Yamandú Orsi at the Edificio José Artigas (18:15) and Vespers with clergy and religious at the Metropolitan Cathedral (19:10).

Saturday, November 7 (Paysandú and Montevideo). A morning flight to Paysandú for a 10:00 Mass at Parque París Londres, the first big open-air liturgy of the trip. Back in Montevideo, the Pope visits the Casavalle neighborhood at the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe parish (17:00), meets educators at the Universidad Católica del Uruguay (18:00) and leads a prayer vigil at the Estadio Centenario at 19:00, the stadium that hosted the first World Cup final in 1930.

Sunday, November 8 (Florida). 10:30 Mass in front of the Cathedral Basilica of Florida, the National Shrine of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, Uruguay's patroness. Farewell at Carrasco at 15:10.

Argentina: November 8–11

Sunday, November 8 (Buenos Aires). Landing at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery at 16:30. At 17:00 the Pope stops at the San Martín monument in Plaza San Martín, then the official welcome at the Casa Rosada (17:20), a meeting with President Javier Milei (17:50) and an address to authorities at the Palacio Libertad, the former Kirchner Cultural Center (18:30).

Monday, November 9 (Buenos Aires and Claypole). A morning visit to the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole (09:15), then the main Buenos Aires liturgy: Mass at the Monumento de los Españoles at 11:30, at the junction of Avenida del Libertador and Avenida Sarmiento in Palermo. Afternoon meetings at the Universidad Católica Argentina (16:10) and the Palacio San Martín (17:30), and Vespers at the Metropolitan Cathedral at 18:45, the church on Plaza de Mayo where Jorge Bergoglio served as archbishop.

Tuesday, November 10 (Córdoba). 10:00 Mass on the grounds of the Escuela de Aviación Militar, then a 15:15 meeting with clergy at the Cathedral of Córdoba, a few steps from the UNESCO-listed Jesuit Block. That night, back in Buenos Aires, a youth vigil at the Monumento de los Españoles at 20:15.

Wednesday, November 11 (Luján). A 08:00 visit to the Federal Penitentiary Complex, then Mass in the plaza of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján at 10:00, Argentina's national Marian shrine, about 70 km west of the capital. Farewell at Ezeiza at 13:30.

If you are in Buenos Aires for the Mass, the Pope's first afternoon traces a route through the historic center that you can walk on your own. Trevurs has free audio tours of the Casa Rosada, Plaza de Mayo and the Metropolitan Cathedral made by locals, so you can understand the balcony, the square and the tomb of San Martín while you wait for the crowds to clear.

Peru: November 11–16

Wednesday, November 11 (Lima). Arrival at the Callao Air Base at 17:30, welcome at the Government Palace (18:15), a visit to the President (18:45) and a meeting with authorities at the Gran Teatro Nacional (19:45).

Thursday, November 12 (Lima). Meetings with bishops and clergy in the morning at the Archbishop's Palace and the Cathedral (from 09:30), and at 11:30 an encounter on the plaza of the Cathedral on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people. At 18:00, a prayer vigil with young people at the Estadio Monumental in Ate.

Friday, November 13 (Chiclayo and Pimentel). The emotional heart of the trip. Leo XIV was bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023 and holds Peruvian citizenship. Mass on the Pampas de Pimentel at 10:30, where local organizers expect more than a million people. In the afternoon he meets clergy at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace (16:30) and students at the Universidad Católica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo (17:45).

Saturday, November 14 (Chiclayo and Santa Cruz de Succhabamba). At 08:00 the coronation of the Immaculate Virgin at Chiclayo's Cathedral. Then a helicopter to the Andean town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba (Cajamarca region) for an 11:00 Mass on the esplanade. At 17:30 a prayer meeting closes the Jubilee Year of Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo at his shrine. The official day title also mentions Zaña, though no public event there is listed.

Sunday, November 15 (Cusco and Pucallpa). Arrival in Cusco at 10:00, a 10:30 encounter with the faithful at the Saqsaywaman Archaeological Park, the Inca fortress above the city, and the Angelus in the plaza of the Cathedral at 11:45. Then a flight to Pucallpa in the Amazon: a 15:00 meeting with missionaries and indigenous peoples at the Malecón Puerto Callao and Mass at the Villa Deportiva Regional Ucayali at 16:45.

Monday, November 16 (Lima). A morning visit to the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly (08:30) and the closing Mass at the Las Palmas Air Base at 10:30. Departure for Rome at 13:45.

Where You Can Actually See Him

• Open-air Masses (best odds): Paysandú, Florida, Monumento de los Españoles, Córdoba, Luján, Pimentel, Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Pucallpa and Las Palmas. Entry is free. Some sites may use sectors or QR registration: in Pimentel, organizers proposed QR pre-registration and warned that people may arrive 12 to 16 hours early.
• Stadium vigils (registration likely): Estadio Centenario in Montevideo and Estadio Monumental in Lima. Lima's call for young people aged 16 to 35 requires prior registration through the archdiocese. Late September reports mentioned a possible move to the Estadio Nacional, but the official program still lists the Monumental.
• Public squares: Plaza Independencia in Montevideo, Plaza de Mayo around the Casa Rosada and the Cathedral, the plaza of Lima's Cathedral and the Angelus in Cusco. Expect barriers and long waits.
• Closed events: meetings with presidents, authorities, bishops and clergy, the prison visit, the Cottolengo in Claypole, private visits and meals. You will not get in, though crowds usually line the motorcade routes, which are typically announced only a few days before.

Practical Tips if You Travel for the Visit

• Book now. November is high season in Cusco, and Machu Picchu tickets sell out weeks ahead even without a Pope in town. Chiclayo has limited hotel capacity for a million visitors.
• Plan around road closures. Buenos Aires, Lima and Chiclayo will close major avenues. Rely on the subway and walking, and on Masses arrive hours early with water, a hat and sunscreen: November is late spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Bring ID. Security perimeters may require it, especially at the air bases in Córdoba and Lima (Las Palmas).
• Follow official channels. The bishops' conferences of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru publish registration links, sectors and access rules closer to each date.

Explore the Papal Route with Trevurs

Most people who travel for a papal Mass spend one day at the event and several more in the city. Trevurs turns those extra days into something deeper with free audio tours made by locals along this very route: The Avant-Garde Socialism Nobody Remembers in Montevideo, Casa Rosada: The Balcony That Ruled Argentina, Plaza de Mayo: The Square That Made a Country and Metropolitan Cathedral: The Greek Temple Guarding San Martín in Buenos Aires, Cathedral and Jesuit Block: 400 Years of Faith and Learning in Córdoba, Basilica of Luján: The Virgin Who Refused to Move and Cusco: The Navel of the World, the Incas and the Conquest. Download them before you fly, because mobile data near a million-person crowd is a coin toss, and walk each stop at your own pace once the Pope has moved on.