World

Pope Leo XIV Embarks on Latin American Tour Three Weeks After Lung Cancer Surgery

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

Pope Leo XIV has begun a 12‑day trip to Latin America, starting in Uruguay and continuing through Argentina and Peru, just three weeks after surgery to remove a lung tumour. The Vatican said the Pope, 71, has had an operation but is not suffering from a permanent medical condition. He revealed that doctors had found a tumour on a routine scan; the growth and the lower lobe of his right lung were removed and the cancer had not spread.

At a briefing in Rome, a Vatican spokeswoman said the Pope has “fantastic stamina” and is “extremely enthusiastic” about the schedule, which he personally confirmed with no changes. Professor Massimo Faggioli of Villanova University told the BBC that the Pope has returned to work with speeches and audiences and appears in good shape.

The itinerary includes long‑haul and local flights covering thousands of miles from the Amazon to the Andes. Uruguay, which has seen a steep decline in Catholic numbers and is receiving its first papal visit in four decades, will be the first stop. The Pope will then visit Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor Pope Francis, and will meet with heads of state and attend religious events.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who has criticised Pope Francis, has welcomed the Pope, writing on X that the country awaits him with “immense joy.” Millions are expected to greet the Pope in Argentina.

The final leg of the trip is a “homecoming” to Peru, where Leo spent almost 20 years as a priest and holds Peruvian citizenship. He will visit the diocese of Chiclayo, where he was ordained bishop in 2014, and travel to Cusco to celebrate Mass above 3,000 m and to Pucallpa in the Amazon. In all three countries the Pope will meet with survivors of clerical sexual abuse.

The Vatican describes the visit as a return to the Pope’s roots and a way to reconnect Latin America after Pope Francis’s visits, which were sometimes disrupted. Professor Faggioli noted that the Pope has a strong sense of the unity of the Americas and that the trip could address political and social issues in the region.