Pope Leo XIV has embarked on a demanding 12-day tour of Latin America, just weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung.
The visit, which will take him to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, comes after the Pope disclosed that doctors discovered the tumour during a routine scan last month. Surgeons removed the growth together with the lower lobe of his right lung, with medical officials subsequently confirming that the cancer had not spread.
However, the Vatican has sought to reassure the public about his health, dismissing concerns that extraordinary medical arrangements are necessary for the trip.
At a briefing in Rome ahead of the journey, a Vatican spokeswoman described Leo as a 71-year-old who had undergone an operation rather than someone living with a permanent medical condition.
She also praised his physical endurance, saying he had “fantastic stamina” and was “extremely enthusiastic” about the schedule, which he had personally approved without any changes.
The Vatican is keen to demonstrate that the Pope has resumed his duties fully following the operation.
Professor Massimo Faggioli of Villanova University told the BBC that Leo had returned to an active schedule, attending audiences, delivering speeches and participating in public engagements.
“The Vatican’s message with this trip is, ‘that was a short episode and now we’re back on track’,” Faggioli said.
The tour, however, is expected to be physically demanding, involving several long-distance and local flights and covering thousands of miles across the Amazon and the Andes.
Uruguay will be the first stop, marking the country’s first papal visit in four decades, amid a significant decline in the Catholic population.
The Pope will then travel to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who never managed to make a papal visit to his native country.
Father Fernando Laguna, rector of Santa Maria Addolorata, Argentina’s national church in Rome, described Leo’s planned visit as a moment of great joy for Argentinians.
He said the journey would also serve as a tribute to Francis, adding that he had always believed Leo would visit Argentina despite his recent health challenges.
Millions of people are expected to turn out to welcome the pontiff, with Argentina’s President Javier Milei also expressing excitement over the visit.
The final leg of the tour will take Leo to Peru, a country the Vatican has described as a return to his roots.
Born in the United States as Robert Prevost, the Pope spent nearly 20 years working in Peru and holds Peruvian citizenship. His experience in the country is considered influential in shaping his leadership and approach to the papacy.
His itinerary includes a return to the Diocese of Chiclayo, where he was ordained bishop in 2014 before being transferred to the Vatican several years later.
He will also visit Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, where he is scheduled to celebrate Mass at an altitude of more than 3,000 metres above sea level, before travelling to Pucallpa in the Amazon region.
During the visits to all three countries, the Pope is also expected to meet survivors of clerical sexual abuse, an issue that previously overshadowed Pope Francis’s 2018 visit to Chile and Peru.
Faggioli said the tour presents an opportunity for the papacy to strengthen its relationship with Latin America following Francis’s tenure.
He also suggested that Leo could use the journey to address challenges facing democracies across the Americas.
