Doctors cleared the 71-year-old pontiff to fly, drive and climb to high altitude barely three weeks after thoracic surgery.
Pope Leo XIV began his demanding South America tour on Friday, November 6, 2026, landing in Montevideo, Uruguay, less than a month after surgeons removed a cancerous tumor from his right lung. The 12-day journey also takes him to Argentina and Peru, covering 10 cities and more than 30,000 kilometers despite his recent operation.
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Pope Leo XIV South America tour opens in Uruguay days after recovery window ends
Leo arrived in Montevideo to start what Vatican officials call his longest and furthest trip yet. He told reporters he was in "fairly good shape" as he stepped off the plane, just three weeks removed from an operation that took out a cancerous tumor and part of the lower lobe of his right lung. CNN reported that roughly one-third of the organ was removed during the October 13 surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.
The timing mattered. According to Vatican officials, Leo had just passed the 14-day convalescence period his doctors required following the operation. That left little buffer before boarding a plane for a continent-spanning trip packed with public appearances, car convoys and helicopter transfers.
Lung surgery details and medical clearance before the Pope Leo XIV South America tour
Doctors discovered the growth during routine medical checks, and surgeons confirmed it as cancerous once they operated on October 13. Leo was discharged from Gemelli Hospital just four days later, on October 17. Vatican-linked medical reports said the cancer had not spread and that no further treatment, such as chemotherapy, was required.
On October 26, the Holy See Press Office issued a formal medical update clearing the trip to proceed. The statement read, "Based on his current clinical status, as well as the instrumental and laboratory tests performed, there are no contraindications that would prevent him from undertaking his upcoming apostolic journey to Latin America as planned." A day later, a senior Vatican official stressed that the cancer diagnosis had not changed the travel plan and that recovery was going smoothly.
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Full itinerary across Uruguay, Argentina and Peru
The published program splits the trip into three clear legs. Leo is in Uruguay from November 6 to 8, with stops in Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida. He then moves to Argentina from November 8 to 11, visiting Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján. The final and longest stretch takes him through Peru from November 11 to 17, with stops in Lima, Chiclayo, Cuzco and Pucallpa.
Vatican News described the overall program as spanning 14 locations connected to more than 50 engagements and roughly 40 speeches, even though the official country-by-country schedule lists 10 principal cities. The gap likely reflects smaller stops, transit points and private meetings layered on top of the main public events. Travel between locations mixes airplane, car and helicopter transport, adding physical strain on top of an already packed schedule.
Altitude and physical strain raise fresh concerns for the recovering Pope
The biggest worry isn't the flying. It's the altitude. Parts of the Peru leg, including Cuzco, sit above 11,000 feet, a height that can stress the lungs and heart even in healthy travelers. For a man who lost a portion of one lung three weeks earlier, that altitude shift is the trip's most serious medical test. CNN reported that a medical team is traveling with the Pope specifically to monitor him through these high-elevation stretches.
Despite the risks, Vatican officials have leaned on their clinical clearance to justify pushing forward. No contraindication, no spread of cancer, no need for additional therapy — that combination became the official justification repeated across Vatican statements in late October. Leo's own comment about feeling in "fairly good shape" added a personal, firsthand data point to the medical paperwork.
First papal visit to South America in eight years carries deeper weight
This isn't just a health story. It's the first papal trip to South America since 2018, making Leo's recovery timeline collide with a journey that was already loaded with religious significance. His first stop, Uruguay, is widely described in reporting as one of the region's least Catholic and most secular countries, which adds extra meaning to his decision to open the tour there rather than somewhere with deeper Catholic roots.
The itinerary was set months before anyone knew about the lung growth. Vatican News reported the detailed program back in September, well before the October diagnosis turned a routine foreign trip into a test of the Pope's physical endurance. Officials have framed his willingness to go ahead as proof of his commitment to a full pastoral schedule rather than scaling back after surgery.
As of now, the trip remains on track with no reported changes to the published schedule. Leo is due to wrap up the Peru leg on November 17, closing out a tour that combines diplomatic significance, religious outreach and an unusually public test of recovery from cancer surgery, all happening in real time in front of global media.
