As Pope Leo XIV convalesces from a significant pulmonary surgery, a planned papal trip to South America is expected to take place on schedule. But with Catholics concerned for the pope’s health, bishops and authorities in countries which the pope intends to visit have indicated that the trip’s agenda could see modifications in the weeks to come.
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Pope Leo underwent surgery Oct. 13 to remove a cancerous nodule from his right lung, with the entire lower lobe of the lung removed by a laparoscopic procedure.
The pope’s medical team has said the surgery was successful and that the pope’s recovery has developed normally. But the trip to Argentina, Peru, and Uruguay is scheduled to start in less than three weeks, leaving a tight time frame for Leo to recover before heading abroad.
The trip’s agenda would be the longest and farthest trip of his pontificate, with 12 flights in 12 days.
Several Vatican officials and the Holy See Press Office have said that no changes have been made to the official plans.
But several sources in Rome and Peru told The Pillar that while the pope still has every intention of travelling and there have been no official discussions on cancelling the trip, it is likely that the schedule in the Peruvian leg of the trip will especially change.
“The Argentina-Uruguay part is relatively simple because everything is close, both the flights from Montevideo to Buenos Aires and then from Buenos Aires to Córdoba are short haul flights,” a senior Vatican official told The Pillar.
“But the schedule in Peru is much more intense and complicated. Cusco is 3,400 meters [11,000 ft] above sea level, so there’s concern about that.”
No decisions have been made, but sources both in Lima and Rome told The Pillar that it is possible the scheduled day trip to Cusco and Pucallpa – in the Peruvian jungle – will be scrapped.
At the same time, while the pope has intended to travel to Santa Cruz, a community in the mountains near Chiclayo, that trip might also be cancelled, as the area is 6,600 ft above sea level and would involve a helicopter flight.
Another possibility being considered is shortening the papal stay in Lima.
The pope was originally expected to arrive in Lima on the afternoon of November 11 and spend all of November 12 in the Peruvian capital, and then to return from in-country travel on the evening of November 15 and fly to Rome in the afternoon of November 16.
But sources in Lima told The Pillar that it is possible that the stay in Lima will be reduced to a single day or at most two, in order to afford the pope more rest.
Meanwhile, some authorities close to the trip have allowed for the possibility the trip could be delayed entirely.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Thursday that the pope might lead the Angelus from the Gemelli hospital on Sunday, but “it depends on how his recovery progresses.”
Parolin added that the trip depends on the advice of the pope’s medical team, but that “at the time the pope was admitted to the hospital, the plan was for the trip to proceed as originally scheduled.”
“So, I imagine that if all goes well — if the situation develops as initially anticipated — the trip will take place,” he added.
It “will depend on how things unfold; we must wait for him to leave the hospital and see what the doctors say regarding whether he is fit to travel”—especially given that it is “a long and demanding trip,” Parolin added.
In an Oct. 14 interview, Uruguayan Cardinal Daniel Sturla said that “it is possible that the doctors won’t allow the pope to come now because he needs treatment, but that he comes at a later date,” and added that the definitive decision would be made in the next few days.
In an Oct. 13 meditation, Cardinal Carlos Castillo of Lima asked prayers for the pope’s “healing so that he may be soon with us, but that he takes as long as he needs to heal properly.”
Peruvian president Keiko Fujimori said in an Oct. 14 statement that the pope’s recovery process might take “longer than expected,” prompting speculation that the trip might be postponed.
But all signs are that Leo has aimed to schedule his treatment around his journey.
Japanese Cardinal Tarcisius Kikuchi told La Repubblica on Oct. 12 that during his audience with the pope the same day, Leo said he wanted to have the surgery as soon as possible, so he wasn’t forced to cancel his trip.
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The pope underwent surgery on Tuesday at the Gemelli hospital in Rome to remove a nodule from his lung.
The Vatican announced that the 90-minute surgery was carried out successfully, and “the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using video-assisted surgery.”
“The procedure was successful, with no complications,” the Vatican said. “An extemporaneous histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by pre-operative tests.”
Pope Leo had announced Sunday that he would be having surgery to remove a nodule from his lung. He said that the nodule was small, localized, and “was detected at a very early stage.”
The Vatican did not release information about the staging of the cancer. Nor did it disclose whether the pope will undergo further treatment, or what his prognosis is.
Several Vatican updates since have said that the pope’s recovery has developed normally.
Adenocarcinoma of the lungs is a common and moderately aggressive form of lung cancer. It often causes coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Survival rates for this form of cancer vary greatly depending on when they are detected and whether they exhibit certain gene mutations.
When caught in the very early stages, pulmonary adenocarcinomas can sometimes be treated by surgery alone. When more advanced, they may require chemotherapy or radiation treatment as well as surgery.
Adenocarcinomas of the lungs often display gene mutations that make them responsive to targeted therapies. When these gene mutations are present, the prognosis is significantly better than when they are not present.
Pope Leo is expected to spend up to a week at the hospital recovering from his surgery.
Thanks for the update, Edgar!
Continued prayers for the pope's recovery and healing...