Three weeks after lung cancer surgery, Pope Leo XIV is embarking on the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate: a 12-day, three-nation tour of Latin America that carries more personal and historic weight than any of his voyages to date.

The U.S.-born Leo is returning home to Peru, where the former Robert Prevost lived for two decades as a missionary priest and learned to be the pastor he is today.

Leo holds Peruvian citizenship and is so attached to Peru's people he gave them a shoutout in Spanish from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on the night of his election.