In brief
The Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV will proceed with his planned South‑American tour after a 90‑minute lung surgery that removed a tumour on his lower right lung. The 71‑year‑old pontiff is set to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November, visiting ten cities, including Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Lima. He celebrated the local congregation in Peru, where he spent formative missionary years and holds citizenship, and expressed great joy at returning to the continent.
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will follow through with his South‑American tour as originally planned, a week after the 71‑year‑old pontiff underwent a successful lung surgery that excised a tumour from the lower part of his right lung.
The operation, carried out on 13 October at Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital, lasted approximately 90 minutes. A surgeon reported that the cancer was localised and that the Pope is now in an “absolutely satisfactory clinical condition.”
The Pope will set out on 6 November for 11 days of visitations, covering 10 cities across Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. He began the Southeast‑America leg in Montevideo on 8 November, then moved to Buenos Aires and, from 17 to 17 November, spent six days touring Peru’s Lima, Chiclayo, Cuzco and Pucallpa.
In a statement released on 16 October, the Vatican said the papal itinerary would remain unchanged, and that the Pope was “looking forward to returning to the continent where I've experienced so many moments of my life” with great joy and enthusiasm.
The trip will be rich in community moments. Peruvian Cardinal Carlos Castillo, Archbishop of Lima, highlighted that the Pope’s ties to the region are strong; he lived in Chiclayo for several years and holds Peruvian citizenship. The schedule will include young people, women who run community kitchens and members of indigenous communities.
The Pope’s announcement of the surgery itself came during Sunday prayers in St Peter’s Square on 11 October, when he informed the crowds that a nodule had been found and removed, reassuring that the growth was contained and caught at an early stage.
While the Pope has cancelled a short trip to Assisi on 27 October, the Vatican stated that the South‑American journey will proceed, balancing the urgency of the tour with the Pope’s recovery plan, under close medical supervision.
