Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday at the start of a grueling 12-day tour through three South American countries, just weeks after his lung cancer surgery.

The 71-year-old pontiff told reporters he was very happy to be in Uruguay, having flown a nearly 14-hour flight from Rome to get to Montevideo.

"I confess that from the first day, I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward," he told reporters aboard the papal plane.

Leo hit the ground running on arrival, drawing huge crowds in Montevideo as he pulled into town in his open-sided popemobile.

The Vatican estimated 30,000 people had turned out to watch him go by and attend his first event in a country that is largely secular and where membership in the Church is declining.

"In an age ‌when ​differences can easily become a source of conflict, persevering ​in respect for the law, negotiation and the ⁠patient ​search for ​agreements is a service ​that Uruguay ‌can continue to offer its neighbors," ​Leo ⁠told crowds in…