Pope Leo XIV Embarks On 12-Day Latin America Tour Three Weeks After Lung Cancer Surgery

Pope Leo XIV departed Rome on Friday for a 12-day apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, marking his sixth international trip as pontiff and his first major overseas tour since undergoing lung cancer surgery in October.

The ITA Airways aircraft carrying the Pope and accompanying journalists took off from Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport at 7:05 AM, with the Holy Father scheduled to arrive at Montevideo-Carrasco International Airport in Uruguay at approximately 4:30 PM local time.

The Vatican confirmed that no extraordinary medical measures are being taken, describing the 71-year-old pontiff as “a 71-year-old who has undergone an operation” rather than someone with a “permanent medical condition”.

The trip comes just over three weeks after Leo underwent surgery on October 13 to remove the lower lobe of his right lung containing a nodule later diagnosed as adenocarcinoma.

Subsequent medical examinations confirmed the condition was localized and no further oncological treatment is necessary.

Dr. Luigi Carbone, the pontiff’s physician, confirmed that based on his current clinical status and test results, there are “no contraindications that would prevent him from undertaking his upcoming apostolic journey to Latin America as planned”.

Speaking ahead of the trip, the Pope expressed his enthusiasm for returning to a continent that shaped his priesthood. “I am happy to be able to return to the continent where I have lived so many moments of my life,” he said.

He also expressed hope that the visit would help “strengthen the faith, renew hope and rekindle the fire of charity” in countries facing challenges including rising inequalities, violence, and the decline of Catholicism.

The journey will take the Pope to ten cities across three nations. In Uruguay, he will celebrate Vespers at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Montevideo, visit the poor neighborhood of Casavalle, and celebrate Mass in Paysandú and Florida.

In Argentina, he will meet with authorities at the Casa Rosada, visit the Little Cottolengo Don Orione facility for the vulnerable in Claypole, and conclude with a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján.

The Peru leg will take him to Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa, where he will revisit communities he knew during nearly two decades as a missionary and bishop.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni described the journey as “a time of listening, of encounter, a blessed time” for the Pope.

The visit holds particular emotional significance as Leo holds Peruvian citizenship and spent significant years of his priestly life in the Andean nation.

The Pope is expected to deliver nearly 40 addresses, all in Spanish, during the 12-day tour, which will conclude on November 17 when he returns to Rome.