Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives at Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo. (EPA Images pic)MONTEVIDEO: Pope Leo XIV urged South American countries on Friday to tackle regional issues together as he began a three-country, 12-day trip expected to draw millions across a Catholic stronghold facing sharp political divisions.
The pontiff arrived in Uruguay, one of Latin America's more stable democracies, for the first stop of a tour that will also take him to Argentina and Peru, in one of the most demanding overseas trips by a Catholic leader in decades.
Leo was greeted by President Yamandu Orsi and two children bearing flowers after landing at Montevideo's Carrasco airport under partly cloudy skies. Later, addressing crowds the Vatican estimated numbered at least 30,000 people in Independence Square, he urged governments in South America to set an example for international cooperation.
