The Vatican has officially announced that Pope Leo XIV will proceed with his long-scheduled multi-nation South American pastoral tour in early November, just weeks after he completed a successful surgical procedure to remove a localized early-stage lung tumor. The 71-year-old pontiff first disclosed his upcoming operation to crowds of pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square during his weekly Sunday public audience on October 11, informing attendees that medical scans had identified a small, well-contained nodule on the lower lobe of his right lung that his care team recommended for removal. The 90-minute procedure took place in Rome on October 13, and he was discharged from the city’s Gemelli Hospital four days later on October 17. Leading thoracic surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora, who oversaw the operation, confirmed in a public medical update that the pontiff’s clinical status is “absolutely satisfactory”, with no remaining localized cancer and no medical contraindications that would prevent him from completing his planned international travel. In the weeks following his discharge, Pope Leo has followed a carefully calibrated recovery routine, adjusting his official ministry schedule in close consultation with his medical team to balance rest and gradual return to pastoral duties, while expressing profound gratitude for the global outpouring of prayers and well-wishes he has received from Catholic communities and members of the public across the world. The only adjustment to his public calendar so far has been the cancellation of a previously planned one-day visit to Assisi on October 27, a call made on the explicit recommendation of his doctors to prioritize his continued healing ahead of the transatlantic South American journey. Scheduled to run from November 6 through November 17, the full 12-day tour will cover 10 cities across three South American nations: Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. The pontiff has shared that he anticipates the trip with immense joy and enthusiasm, noting that the South American continent holds decades of deeply personal life and ministry memories for him. The itinerary will open in Uruguay on November 8, with stops in the capital Montevideo and other key regional population centers, before moving to Argentina for a six-day stay spanning November 11 to 17 that includes a landmark visit to the capital Buenos Aires. The final leg of the journey will take place in Peru, a nation where 76% of the population identifies as Catholic, with planned stops in Lima, Chiclayo, Cuzco, and Pucallpa. As confirmed by Lima Archbishop and Peruvian Cardinal Carlos Castillo, the tour will center outreach on three priority groups: young people, women who operate and lead local community food kitchens, and members of Peru’s diverse indigenous communities. Pope Leo shares uniquely deep personal ties to Peru, holding formal Peruvian citizenship after spending decades working in the country as a missionary. He was first dispatched to Peru by the Augustinian order as a 30-year-old missionary in 1985, first serving at the Chulucanas mission in the Piura region, before moving to a pastoral posting in Trujillo the following year. For nearly 30 years, he split his time between ministry work in Peru and the United States, and maintained a longstanding close connection to communities in Chiclayo where he resided for several years.
Pope’s South American trip to go ahead as planned after lung cancer surgery
