Located over 3,400 metres above sea level, the ancient Inca capital served as a demanding setting where the U.S.-born pontiff addressed gathered crowds at the historic Saqsaywaman fortress alongside local musicians and dancers. His broader regional mission also tackles broader cultural and social issues, including declining birth rates across the continent. Following his time in the Andes, the pontiff scheduled a visit to the Peruvian Amazon to meet Indigenous leaders and confront environmental threats like illegal logging and pollution.
Key points
The demanding stop in high-altitude Cusco served as the primary physical test of the pont…: The demanding stop in high-altitude Cusco served as the primary physical test of the pontiff's post-surgery recovery.
The journey through Peru holds deep personal meaning due to the pope's nearly two decades…: The journey through Peru holds deep personal meaning due to the pope's nearly two decades of past missionary and episcopal service there.
Upcoming events in the Peruvian Amazon aim to highlight urgent regional crises, specifica…: Upcoming events in the Peruvian Amazon aim to highlight urgent regional crises, specifically illegal logging, pollution, and drug trafficking.
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CUZCO, Peru: Pope Leo XIV on Sunday (Nov 15) faced his toughest physical test since undergoing lung cancer surgery, visiting high-altitude Cusco on the final full day of his South America tour.
The 71-year-old pontiff, who had part of a lung removed a month ago, arrived in the ancient Inca capital, more than 3,400 metres above sea level - high enough to leave many a visitor breathless.
Children in brightly woven ponchos and embroidered skirts greeted the pope as he stepped off the plane for the latest stop on an intense 12-day trip through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
"To be honest, I thought it might be cancelled," said Valentin Cruz Turpo, aged 29. "But I still had hope, because God is powerful and can do anything."
Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of a city that for centuries before the Spanish conquest was the "navel of the world" - a hub of learning and discovery in art, science and culture.
The pope visited a vast stone fortress that crowns a hill above Cusco, where troupes of musicians and ritual dancers…
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