Leo XIV will travel 31,000 kilometers to deliver a message of unity
Leo XIV begins his journey through Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. Follow his 31,000-kilometer journey and discover the special coverage from Augustinians with the Pope.
Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru will welcome the Pope during twelve days of encounters, celebrations, and gestures of hope. Augustinians with the Pope is preparing special coverage to share this historic journey through the eyes of the Augustinian Family.
Every papal visit is unique, different, and unrepeatable. None are like the one before, because every nation has its own history, its wounds, its hopes, and a particular way of receiving the successor of Peter. But there are journeys that, even before they begin, we know will be especially significant. And this one, which will take Leo XIV through Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to 17, has all the ingredients to be one of them.
It will be twelve days, three countries, and 31,003 kilometers of air travel, according to the distances published by the Holy See Press Office. More than 31,000 kilometers to meet with communities, listen to stories, share the faith, and remember that the Church is called to be a place of encounter and communion.
However, there is something that cannot be measured in kilometers: the excitement of those waiting for the Pope, the prayers that accompany his path, and the desire for unity that crosses so many borders.
“Uncle Leo,” will you help us be a little more united?
Yesterday I came across a video that made me think about everything this visit means. An Argentine girl welcomed the Pope with that spontaneity children have for saying important things.
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“Hello, Holy Father, or better yet, I’ll call you Uncle Leo, because we Argentines are overly familiar,” she began. Then she spoke to him about her country, soccer, music, food, barbecues, and that very Argentine ease of welcoming someone as if they were family. But, in the midst of that heartwarming welcome, a question appeared that probably summarizes much of what Latin America needs to hear:
“Can you do something so we can be a little more united?”
The girl recognized that sometimes we fight too much, that we struggle to respect those who think differently, and that we need to learn to take better care of each other. She spoke of children living on the streets, of those who don’t have enough to eat, and of those who cannot go to school.
And then came her simplest request: “I ask you, dear Leo, to give us a little bit of peace.”
Perhaps that is one of the best ways to understand this journey. It is not just about receiving a head of state, filling squares, or listening to speeches. It is about opening our hearts to a message that reminds us that unity does not mean everyone thinking the same way, but learning to recognize each other as brothers and sisters even in our differences.
And it is especially significant that this message comes from an Augustinian Pope, whose episcopal and pontifical motto, In Illo uno unum, reminds us that in the one Christ, we are one.
Three countries, thousands of kilometers, and one shared hope
Total distance of the 14 flights and helicopter trips reported by the Holy See, not including ground travel.
The journey will begin in Uruguay, where Leo XIV will stay from November 6 to 8. Montevideo, Paysandú, and Florida will be the settings for celebrations and encounters with young people, educators, and communities living through very different social realities.
Then he will arrive in Argentina, from November 8 to 11. Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Luján will welcome the Pontiff, who will also have meetings with vulnerable people, workers, religious, bishops, and youth. It will be an opportunity to speak of fraternity, reconciliation, and hope in a society that, as that young girl reminded us, needs to find ways to overcome its divisions.
The final stage will be Peru, from November 11 to 16, with the return to Rome on the 17th. Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa are among the destinations of a visit that will have an especially emotional meaning. Leo XIV returns to a land deeply linked to his life, his missionary vocation, and his pastoral ministry.
There, between the coast, the Andes, and the Amazon, the Pope will once again meet with communities that are part of his own history.
But beyond the distances and the intensity of the schedule, there is a thread that can unite all these encounters: the need to build bridges where divisions exist, to generate hope where there is suffering, and to recognize that communion is a task that belongs to all of us.
Augustinians with the Pope: we want to tell you about it from the inside
We have been preparing for this visit for weeks. Behind every news item, every photograph, every video, and every testimony, there is a team of communication leaders from the Augustinian Family who, from the countries welcoming the Holy Father, are giving their all to share this historic moment.
We want to be close to the events, listen to the protagonists, and discover the stories that might not make the big headlines but help us understand what the Pope’s presence means in the midst of his people.
That is the commitment of Augustinians with the Pope: to report on the pontificate of Leo XIV with journalistic rigor, closeness, and a deeply Augustinian perspective.
We don’t just intend to tell you where the Pope is or what he said. We want to share how his presence is experienced, what it awakens in the communities, how his message transforms lives, and how the spirituality of Saint Augustine can help us interpret the great challenges of our time.
And we want to do it together. Because this project is also a concrete expression of that unity we need so much: different orders, countries, cultures, and sensibilities working with a single purpose.
During these twelve days, Augustinians with the Pope will be our meeting point. There you will find news, testimonies, photographs, interviews, and the stories that our teams will send us from Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru.
Additionally, through our Pope Tracker, you can follow the Holy Father’s route, check his schedule, and see his upcoming encounters.
FOLLOW THE POPE’S FLIGHT LIVE →
We’ll see you in a few hours, in Uruguay
As we write these lines, Leo XIV is already flying toward Montevideo. The papal plane took off from Rome-Fiumicino this Friday, November 6, at 7:05 AM, to begin a new apostolic pilgrimage through Latin America.
And while the Pope crosses the Atlantic, thousands of people are preparing for his arrival. Among them, there will likely be many children who, like that little Argentine girl, aren’t expecting major diplomatic answers, but something much simpler: peace, hope, and a little more unity.
Perhaps that is the great challenge of these 31,000 kilometers: that they are not just a distance traveled, but a path that brings us closer to one another.
From Augustinians with the Pope, we want to walk it with you, convinced that communication can also build bridges and that unity begins when we learn to listen to each other.
The Pope is already on his way. So are we. We’ll see you in a few hours, in Uruguay.