Vatican Confirms Pope Leo XIV Will Undertake South American Apostolic Journey Following Surgery
Pope Leo XIV will travel to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to November 17, following medical clearance after a partial lung resection, silerenonpossum.com reported. The 12-day itinerary marks the longest trip of the pontificate and follows an October 13 operation at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, where surgeons removed the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung due to an adenocarcinoma.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed the voyage after subsequent pathology tests established that the disease was localized. According to the official announcement, medical examinations confirmed favorable clinical conditions and good overall health, indicating no need for chemotherapy or further oncological treatments.
Medical Recovery and Post-Operative Timeline
The path to the November tour began weeks earlier when Pope Leo XIV disclosed his diagnosis during the Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, October 11. Two days later, on October 13, thoracic surgeon Stefano Margaritora’s team performed the operation at the Gemelli Polyclinic.
Following four days of hospitalization, the pope was discharged on Saturday, October 17, and subsequently appeared for the Angelus the following day. Papal audiences remained suspended until October 20, after which the pontiff gradually resumed his daily schedule in consultation with his medical team, balancing work with mandatory rest periods.
Planned Itinerary Across Three South American Nations
The apostolic journey spans three countries across twelve days, bringing the pontiff back to a continent where he spent significant portions of his life.
* Uruguay (November 6–8): Pope Leo XIV will visit Montevideo, Paysandú, and Florida. The visit follows the last papal presence in the country, which was Saint John Paul II in the late 1980s.
* Argentina (November 8–11): The itinerary includes stops in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Luján. The trip marks a return to the country from which Pope Francis came, who never visited Argentina during his own pontificate.
* Peru (November 11–17): Stops include Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa. Pope Leo XIV previously lived in Peru as an Augustinian missionary in the 1980s, later obtaining citizenship and serving as the Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 until 2023.
“I am happy to be able to return to the continent in which I have lived many moments of my life,” Pope Leo XIV stated in a message released by the Vatican Press Office.
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