José María Balcázar announced that the pontiff will be in his country in November and anticipated that the trip will include Argentina and Uruguay
The confirmation of the trip raises expectations in the region, especially in Argentina, where diplomatic signals have been accumulating for months pointing to a possible visit from the pontiff. In this context, the government of Javier Milei is actively working to finalize the arrival of León XIV.
The interim president of Peru, José María Balcázar, confirmed this Thursday that Pope León XIV will undertake a tour of South America in November, which could include Argentina and Uruguay, in addition to his visit to the Andean country. The decision was made known after an audience that the president held with the Supreme Pontiff at the Vatican.
According to Balcázar, the trip to Peru will take place during the first half of November and will last between eight and ten days. The official confirmation came after a meeting of approximately two hours at the Holy See, where the Peruvian president received direct authorization to announce the visit.
“It will cover Argentina and Uruguay, but I have focused on the visit to Peru. That was what I had on the agenda, and he confirmed it to me. He has authorized me to confirm his visit to the country in the first half of November,” said the president, who also serves as interim president.
The planned itinerary within Peru includes a tour of several key cities in the country. According to reports, the Pope would visit Lima, Chiclayo, Piura, Cusco, and Pucallpa, with the possibility of also adding Puno and Iquitos, although these destinations are not yet fully defined.
In February, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno traveled to Rome and met with the Pope, during which he delivered a letter signed by the Argentine president. “I delivered an invitation letter from the President to Pope León XIV to visit our country and reaffirmed the willingness to work together for peace,” the official wrote after that meeting.
Subsequently, in mid-May, Quirno himself referred to the topic on social media after meeting with Milei. At that time, he anticipated: “the good news that will make all the Argentine people happy” and noted that “only the date remains to be defined,” which fueled speculation about the imminent confirmation of the papal visit.
With the officialization of the trip to Peru, Pope León XIV's South American tour begins to take shape and reinforces the expectation that Argentina and Uruguay will be part of the same itinerary in the coming months.
