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Pope begins Latin America tour three weeks after lung cancer surgery

Summarised from 5 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 6 Nov, 20:45 · Archive

Pope Leo XIV has begun a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, three weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a lung tumour.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on Friday to begin a 12-day tour of South America, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery. The pontiff flew for 13 and a half hours from Rome to Montevideo, and told reporters upon arrival that he feels 'fairly good'. 'I know some people were doubtful about this trip taking place,' he said. 'I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward.'

The growth was discovered during a routine scan and removed along with the lower lobe of his right lung. Medical teams confirmed the cancer had not spread. The Vatican stressed that the Pope had 'fantastic stamina' and was 'extremely enthusiastic' about the schedule, which he had 'personally confirmed with no changes'.

The tour covers three countries across South America. After Uruguay, Pope Leo will visit Argentina and then Peru, where he served as a missionary for nearly two decades. The trip is described as one of the most intense papal foreign trips in recent decades, incorporating multiple long-haul flights and covering thousands of miles.

Uruguay, his first destination, is the region's least Catholic and most secular country. It was the first nation globally to legalise recreational marijuana and has since legalised abortion, same-sex marriage and assisted dying, all positions opposed by the Catholic Church. However, enthusiasm for the visit has been strong: tickets for his prayer vigil at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium sold out in two days. His three-day schedule includes a visit to the Casavalle neighbourhood, which has high rates of poverty and violence, a mass in Paysandu about 375 kilometres from Montevideo, and another in Florida about 100 kilometres from the capital.

Cardinal Daniel Sturla, archbishop of Montevideo, told AFP there was 'widespread interest in the pope's visit that goes well beyond the confines of the Catholic Church'. In Uruguay, only a fraction of believers attend Mass regularly. The Pope is scheduled to meet with President Yamandu Orsi, leader of a centre-left alliance.

From Uruguay, Pope Leo will travel to Argentina, home to his papal predecessor Francis. Francis never returned to Argentina as pope, disappointing his compatriots. Catholic identification in Argentina has fallen from 71 per cent at the start of Francis's papacy to 58 per cent by 2024, according to the Pew Research Center. Latin America is home to around 40 per cent of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, though fewer people on the continent now identify as Catholic.

Pope begins Latin America tour three weeks after lung cancer surgery
Image: France 24

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In this story: Pope Leo XIV · Uruguay · Argentina · Peru · Roman Catholic Church · President Yamandu Orsi · Cardinal Daniel Sturla · Francis

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log