Pope Leo XIV has started a 12-day tour of South America, just weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. He will visit Argentina, Peru and Uruguay as part of the trip.
The 71-year-old left Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on Friday morning (6 November). He is due in Uruguay this afternoon. His itinerary for the South America trip includes 10 cities and 36 speeches, and runs until 17 November.
The Vatican said he had fully recovered from the operation, which was carried out in October for lung adenocarcinoma. His doctors have said the disease was localised and that he needs no further treatment. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said no extra medical precautions would be taken during the tour.
Independent medical experts said that clearing the Pope to fly suggested a low risk of complications. They added that he might need rest breaks and possibly supplementary oxygen at high altitude in the Peruvian Andes.
Leo had already cancelled a planned trip to the town of Assisi in Central Italy on 27 October on his doctors’ advice. The Pope became a Peruvian citizen in 2015. Bruni described the tour as a “homecoming”. Leo served in Peru for decades as an Augustinian missionary and later as bishop of Chiclayo.
He will also spend three days in Argentina, which Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, never visited as pontiff. Argentine officials expect about seven million people to attend events with Leo.
On Sunday (8 November) the Pope will address Argentina’s President, Javier Milei. The right-wing libertarian is seen as a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, who criticised Leo earlier this year after the Pope spoke out against the Iran war.
Bruni said the Pope’s speeches would address environmental destruction, arms trafficking and regional political instability. Leo will also visit a prison in Argentina and meet survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
Latin America has the world’s largest Catholic population, but the Church is losing ground to fast-growing evangelical denominations and has struggled with changing social attitudes. Abuse scandals have also damaged its standing.
Speaking in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday (4 November), Leo said he hoped the trip would “strengthen the faith, renew hope, [and] rekindle the fire of charity”.
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