León XIV heads to Latin America three weeks after lung cancer surgery

Pope León XIV will begin a 12-day tour of South America this Friday, three weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. The itinerary covers Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, marking the longest and most geographically distant trip of his pontificate. The Vatican has confirmed the schedule remains unchanged, with no additional medical provisions planned for the 71-year-old leader.

The journey begins in Uruguay, a nation of 3.5 million people where only one-third of the population identifies as Catholic. Andrew Chesnut, a Catholic studies expert at Virginia Commonwealth University, described Uruguay as the most secularized country in Latin America. The nation recently became the first in the region to approve assisted dying legislation despite opposition from the Catholic Church. León is expected to address church doctrine on abortion and euthanasia during his three-day stay.

From Uruguay, the pope travels to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Francis never returned to his native country during his 13 years in office, leaving a political legacy that León now must navigate. The visit is politically delicate due to tensions between León and Argentine President Javier Milei. Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, previously called Francis a “disgusting leftist.” Leo Guardado, a theology professor at Fordham University, suggested that Milei’s push to attract artificial intelligence investment could become a point of discussion, given León’s concerns about the technology’s impact on the environment.

The final leg of the trip takes León to Peru, where he lived for two decades as a missionary before becoming pope. He holds Peruvian citizenship and served as the bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the head of Vatican communications, said the pope is enthusiastic about the visit. She noted that León will likely speak spontaneously in Spanish and show a more relaxed demeanor than he often displays in Rome. “He knows these streets,” Alvarado said.

Doctors cleared León for the trip after announcing that he did not require further treatment for his lung cancer. They stated there was no reason he could not make the journey from November 6 to 17. The route includes a dozen flights and two helicopter rides covering 31,000 kilometers. The schedule also involves a visit to Cusco, which sits at an altitude of 3,400 meters. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni clarified that the surgery was not a permanent condition. “We are talking about something one recovers from, because it is surgery,” Bruni said.

León told regional bishops in September that his time in Peru helped him understand the role of a pastor. He credited the country with showing him the diverse needs of the Church. The trip concludes with a commemoration of a major Catholic holiday tied to Uruguay’s independence in 1825. Alvarado said the pope’s message for non-believers is to reconsider their faith. “They will see it again, but in a completely different way because he knows these streets,” she added.