Pope Leo will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to ​17, the Vatican announced on Wednesday, ‌in a major trip for the Catholic leader who spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru ​before becoming pope last year.

Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff, is also ​a citizen of Peru, where he served as bishop of Chiclayo, in the northwest, from 2015 to 2023.

The ​pope will visit Chiclayo as well as ​Lima, Cusco and Pucallpa while in Peru, the Vatican said. ‌In ⁠Argentina, he will visit Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Lujan. In Uruguay, he will visit Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida.

The Vatican did not offer further ​details about ​the visits, ⁠saying the full itineraries would be made available later.

A Catholic pope ​has not visited South America since ​the ⁠late Pope Francis made a trip to Chile and Peru in 2018. Francis, originally from Argentina ⁠and ​the first pope from the ​Americas, never made a visit to his home country as ​pontiff.

Source:  Reuters