Pope resumes travel after lung cancer surgery

Pope León XIV leaves Friday for the most extensive tour of his papacy.

The 71 year old pontiff will spend 12 days visiting Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. This trip covers 31,000 kilometers and includes a dozen flights and two helicopter rides. He begins the journey three weeks after undergoing surgery on October 13 to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung.

Vatican officials stated the pope does not require additional medical provisions for the trip. Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesperson, described the surgery as a condition from which one recovers rather than a permanent state. The itinerary includes a visit to Cusco in Peru, located at an altitude of 3,400 meters.

The tour starts in Uruguay, a nation with a small Catholic population. Roughly one third of the country's 3.5 million residents identify as Catholic. Uruguay is the first country in the region to approve assisted dying legislation, a move opposed by the local church. Andrew Chesnut, a Catholic studies expert at Virginia Commonwealth University, described Uruguay as practically a Western European nation due to its secular nature.

León XIV is expected to address church doctrine on abortion and euthanasia during his three days there. He will also mark a Catholic feast day on Sunday that connects to Uruguay's independence in 1825. Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the head of Vatican communications, said the pope aims to inspire people to reconsider their faith. She noted he will speak spontaneously in Spanish, similar to his relaxed demeanor in Spain last June.

The Argentine leg of the trip presents a more complex political backdrop. Pope Francisco, who ruled for 13 years, never returned to his home country during his papacy. Guzmán Carriquiry, a former official in the Vatican's Latin American commission, recalled that Francisco would joke or stay silent when asked about returning home. María Marcela Mazzini, an Argentine theologian, attributed this reluctance to the country's intense political polarization.

León XIV now faces a president with a different style. Javier Milei, who calls himself an anarcho capitalist, previously described Francisco as a disgusting leftist. Leo Guardado, a theology professor at Fordham University, expects Milei's push for artificial intelligence investments to be a discussion point. The pope has expressed concern about the impact of AI on humanity and the environment.

The final stop is Peru, where the pope lived for two decades as a missionary priest. He served as the bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023 before being called to Rome. León XIV holds Peruvian citizenship and greeted the nation in Spanish from the St. Peter's Basilica balcony after his election. Alvarado said the country opened his eyes to the diverse needs of the church and inspired his pastoral approach.

The pope told regional bishops in September that Peru was where he understood what it means to be a pastor. He described the local faith as something he received directly. The Vatican confirmed he personally approved the travel plans without changes. The trip concludes on November 17.