Pope Leo XIV sets off on long Latin America tour weeks after lung cancer surgery
Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, has begun a 12-day visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru just three weeks after surgery to remove a lung tumour. The Vatican says no extraordinary health measures are being taken.
Pope Leo XIV, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has begun a 12-day tour of Latin America covering Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, only three weeks after an operation for lung cancer. The trip ends with a long-awaited return to Peru, where he served as a priest for many years.
The Pope himself revealed last month that doctors had found a tumour during a routine scan. It was removed along with the lower lobe of his right lung, and his medical team later confirmed the cancer had not spread. The Vatican says no extraordinary measures are being taken regarding his health, describing him as a 71-year-old who has undergone an operation rather than someone with a permanent medical condition. A spokeswoman said he has fantastic stamina and that he personally confirmed the schedule with no changes.
The route
The tour includes multiple long-haul and local flights and covers thousands of miles, from the Amazon to the Andes. It starts in Uruguay, where the number of Catholics has fallen steeply in recent years and which is receiving its first papal visit in four decades. Leo then travels to Argentina, homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis. This leg may be the most politically sensitive: President Javier Milei once called Francis "evil on earth" and a "communist", while Argentina's bishops have criticised Milei's austerity measures. Milei has nonetheless welcomed Leo in a post on X, saying Argentina waits with "immense joy", and millions are expected to greet the Pope.
In Peru, he will visit the diocese of Chiclayo, where he was ordained bishop in 2014, then Cusco, the former Inca capital, and Pucallpa in the Amazon. Born in the US, Robert Prevost spent almost 20 years in Peru, on and off, and holds Peruvian citizenship. In all three countries the Vatican says he will meet survivors of clerical sexual abuse.
Professor Massimo Faggioli of Villanova University says the trip's message is that the illness was a short episode and the Vatican is back on track.
