The tour will begin in Uruguay, from November 6 to 8. The Pope will then travel to Argentina, where he will stay until the 11th, with events in Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery in Rome this week to remove a lung nodule detected at an early stage, less than a month before the start of his first tour of South America, which will take him to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17. The Vatican has announced no changes to the trip.
“Recently, during some check-ups, doctors found a circumscribed nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well localised,” the 71-year-old pontiff said after the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square on Sunday. He said he had accepted the medical recommendation to have it removed.
Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that the operation will take place early this week at Rome’s Gemelli hospital and that the Pope will remain in hospital for about seven days. The Vatican has not specified the nature of the lesion.
The tour will begin in Uruguay, from November 6 to 8. The Pope will then travel to Argentina, where he will stay until the 11th, with events in Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján and a meeting with President Javier Milei. The final stop will be Peru, from the 11th to the 17th, where Leo XIV served as bishop of Chiclayo. The Holy See said the final decision will depend on the Pope’s progress after surgery.
Milei expressed his support on X: “All of Argentina is with Your Holiness in affection and prayer, wishing you a speedy and complete recovery.”