President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed Thursday that Pope Leo XIV's first tour of Latin America will bypass Mexico, a day after Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with her at the National Palace and walked her through the itinerary himself. Neither Uruguay nor Argentina has hosted a pope since John Paul II passed through in the late 1980s — Argentina in 1987, Uruguay a year later. Sheinbaum told reporters Parolin's explanation was straightforward: the pope picked Peru, Argentina and Uruguay because Francis never reached them as pope, with Leo adding his personal attachment to Peru on top. "We're going to insist on the pope's visit to Mexico," she told reporters Wednesday. Neither side has set a date, and the Vatican has made clear any Mexico trip would require its own separate announcement.