Pope Leo arrives in Uruguay at start of South America tour

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday at the start of a grueling 12-day tour through three South American countries, just weeks after his lung cancer surgery.

The 71-year-old pontiff told reporters he was very happy to be in Uruguay, having flown a nearly 14-hour flight from Rome to get to Montevideo.

"I confess that from the first day, I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward," he told reporters aboard the papal plane.

Leo hit the ground running on arrival, drawing huge crowds in Montevideo as he pulled into town in his open-sided popemobile.

The Vatican estimated 30,000 people had turned out to watch him go by and attend his first event in a country that is largely secular and where membership in the Church is declining.

"In an age when differences can easily become a source of conflict, persevering in respect for the law, negotiation and the patient search for agreements is a service that Uruguay can continue to offer its neighbors," Leo told crowds in Montevideo's main square.

Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi, leader of the center-left alliance, was present there too.

Leo is then planning to visit the Casavalle neighborhood, which is notorious for its high rates of poverty and violence.

With starting in Uruguay, Leo marks the first papal visit to the country in nearly four decades, with Pope John Paul II having last visited in 1988.

The pontiff will spend three days in Uruguay before heading on to Argentina on Sunday.

He then travels to Peru, where he spent half his priestly life, before he was elected pontiff last year. He became a naturalized Peruvian citizen in 2015.

Latin America is home to around 40% of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, for whom the pope is their spiritual leader. However, fewer and fewer people on the continent identify as Catholic.

Uruguay, the most secular Latin American country, was the first country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana use and has since legalized abortion, same-sex marriage and assisted dying, all against opposition from the Catholic Church.

However, the enthusiasm around Leo's visit has come as a bit of a surprise, with tickets for his prayer vigil at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium selling out in just two days.

On Sunday, Leo will cross over to neighboring Argentina, the home of his papal predecessor Francis, who, however, disappointed his native compatriots by never returning home as pope.

At the beginning of Francis's papacy, some 71% of Argentinians identified as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center. By 2024, this had fallen to 58%.

Leo is set to meet with Argentinian President Javier Milei, who has come under criticism from the Catholic Church for his sweeping cuts that have hampered programs for the poor and needy.

He is also planning to meet with business leaders, trade unions, workers and social representatives.

The final leg of the trip, on Wednesday, will see Leo return to Peru, where he lived and preached for two decades.

There is excitement about his visit to Peru, with the pope planning to celebrate Mass in his old diocese of Chiclayo as well as in the mountain village of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba.

The pope will also celebrate Mass in the former Incan capital city of Cusco before honoring Peru's indigenous population by traveling to Pucallpa in the Peruvian Amazon.

The excitement can be seen in the street vendors selling T-shirts and rosaries with his likeness, while bakeries have been selling Leo bread.

Peru has also seen a weakening of the faithful in recent years, with the Catholic population falling from 76% in 2013-2014 to around 67% now.