As he stepped off the plane at Montevideo airport after a 14-hour flight from Rome, he became the first pope to visit Uruguay since 1988.
Next up is Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis. The trip ends in Peru, where Leo is a citizen and spent two decades as a missionary and bishop.
During the procedure in mid-October, the pope had part of his right lung removed. Shortly after he was discharged from hospital, the Vatican announced that he would not need any further surgery.
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