Pope Leo to visit Argentina in November

Pope Leo XIV will visit Argentina from November 8 to 11 during an Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, according to the Buenos Aires Times.

The Vatican said the tour will run from November 6 to 17 and begin in Uruguay before moving to Argentina and then Peru. "The Press director of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, informed on August 5 that the Holy Father Leo XIV will make an Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, 2026, accepting the invitation of the heads of state and the ecclesiastical authorities in the respective countries," a Vatican statement said.

Leo will visit Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida from November 6 to 8; Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján from November 8 to 11; and Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa from November 11 to 17. The Vatican said the full programme will be announced in due course.

Argentina’s government described the confirmation as a "historic event." "This is a historic event for our country and for all Argentines," Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said, adding that the Holy See had requested discretion during planning and that Argentina had extended an invitation.

Quirno said the Pope will meet President Javier Milei and that the government will issue a decree declaring the visit "of national interest." He said officials would coordinate with the Holy See on "logistics, security, protocol, transport and the general organisation" over the coming weeks.

The trip will mark the first official visit by a pontiff in almost 40 years to Uruguay and Argentina. Francis never returned to Argentina while pope; the last pontiff to tour Argentina was John Paul II in 1987, followed by a trip to Uruguay in 1988. Leo, who spent decades as a missionary on the continent and obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015, will spend the final and longest leg of the journey in Peru.