In brief
After a 90‑minute operation in Rome that removed a lung tumor, Pope Leo XIV has been cleared to proceed with his November tour of South America. The 71‑year‑old pontiff will visit 10 cities in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, starting in Montevideo on 8 November. While doctors urged him to cancel an October Assisi stop, the Vatican confirmed he is in satisfactory recovery. The Pope’s itinerary will include visits to the capitals and key Catholic communities, underscoring his historic ties to Peru. Eyewitness reports of the Pope waving from a car after leaving Gemelli Hospital illustrate his resilient spirit.
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will keep his November South American tour as scheduled, following a successful lung cancer operation in Rome. He had a tumour removed from the lower‑right lung on 13 October and was discharged from Gemelli Hospital on 17 October.
The 71‑year‑old pontiff will travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6‑17 November, visiting 10 cities and showing enthusiasm for the itinerary. The trip starts in Montevideo on 8 November, then moves to Buenos Aires from 11‑17 November, and finishes with six days in Peru, covering Lima, Chiclayo, Cuzco and Pucallpa.
He told a crowd at St. Peter’s Square on 11 October that doctors had discovered a nodular growth, removed it and that it was “well‑contained” and localised. His surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, described his condition as “absolutely satisfactory” and said there was no medical reason to cancel the trip.
Pope Leo emphasised his deep gratitude for prayers worldwide and said doctors had also advised him to cancel a planned stop in Assisi on 27 October.
Eyewitnesses to his exit from Gemelli noted the Pope waving from a car window, a sign of his determination to fulfil his pastoral commitments. The tour will highlight his longstanding ties to Peru—he was a missionary there in the 1980s and holds Peruvian citizenship—bringing him back to the continent where he has spent many formative years.
