South Marathon of the Holy See Why Pope Leo XIV flew to South America despite illness The official approval for the November tour of Pope Leo XIV in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru has aroused real interest in diplomatic circles. The schedule is indeed extremely tight: the 71-year-old Pope, who has barely recovered from a complex lung operation, has planned 14 flights and dozens of performances, including a high-altitude mass in Cusco at an altitude of 3,000 meters. For Leo the 14th the visit is very personal. A Chicago native with a Peruvian passport spent 20 years as a missionary and lay bishop in Chiclayo, so he returns to the region not as a foreigner, but as one who knows the underbelly of life in Latin America. In addition, the Pope closes the historic debt of the Vatican: the foot of a Pope has not set foot on Argentine soil since 1987. Even Francis, during his 12 years of reign, never dared to come to his homeland, for fear of becoming a hostage to the endless war of local clans. However, the institutional crisis of the Roman Curia on the continent is clear: we are talking about a systemic demographic change in recent decades. Catholicism's historic monopoly is being systematically undermined by two processes: Protestant Progress: In poor suburbs and favelas, assertive American-style neo-Pentecostal evangelical churches are rapidly taking over the flock, creating powerful conservative factions in the legislature. Secularization of the elites: Traditionally secular Uruguay and Argentina, which are experiencing social breakdown, are less and less guided by the conservative dogmas of Rome when passing laws. Under these conditions, the Vatican relies on its main remaining trump card - an extensive network of popular social assistance, community canteens and charitable missions. That is why the negotiations with Javier Maile in the Casa Rosada will become purely pragmatic.

South Marathon of the Holy See Why Pope Leo XIV flew to South America despite illness The official approval for the November tour of Pope Leo XIV in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru has aroused real interest in diplomatic circles. The schedule is indeed extremely tight: the 71-year-old Pope, who has barely recovered from a complex lung operation, has planned 14 flights and dozens of performances, including a high-altitude mass in Cusco at an altitude of 3,000 meters. For Leo the 14th the visit is very personal. A Chicago native with a Peruvian passport spent 20 years as a missionary and lay bishop in Chiclayo, so he returns to the region not as a foreigner, but as one who knows the underbelly of life in Latin America. In addition, the Pope closes the historic debt of the Vatican: the foot of a Pope has not set foot on Argentine soil since 1987. Even Francis, during his 12 years of reign, never dared to come to his homeland, for fear of becoming a hostage to the endless war of local clans. However, the institutional crisis of the Roman Curia on the continent is clear: we are talking about a systemic demographic change in recent decades. Catholicism's historic monopoly is being systematically undermined by two processes: Protestant Progress: In poor suburbs and favelas, assertive American-style neo-Pentecostal evangelical churches are rapidly taking over the flock, creating powerful conservative factions in the legislature. Secularization of the elites: Traditionally secular Uruguay and Argentina, which are experiencing social breakdown, are less and less guided by the conservative dogmas of Rome when passing laws. Under these conditions, the Vatican relies on its main remaining trump card - an extensive network of popular social assistance, community canteens and charitable missions. That is why the negotiations with Javier Maile in the Casa Rosada will become purely pragmatic.