Pope Leo XIV began a 12-day visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on Friday after the Vatican said follow-up tests found his lung cancer localized and no further treatment was needed.
Aboard the papal plane on Nov. 6, Leo said he was in “fairly good shape,” the Associated Press reported.
The Holy See Press Office said Oct. 26 that follow-up examinations found the disease localized and that additional oncological treatment was unnecessary. It also said Leo’s medical condition and test results showed no reason to delay the trip.
Doctors at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital used video assistance to remove the lower lobe of Leo’s right lung on Oct. 13. The operation took about 90 minutes. An examination during surgery identified lung adenocarcinoma, and the Holy See Press Office reported no complications.
Leo had disclosed the finding on Oct. 11, saying doctors had detected a small nodule in his lung during recent medical checks and advised an operation. EconoTimes previously reported the physician’s assessment of the travel plan in its earlier report on the trip’s medical outlook.
The Vatican itinerary schedules the visit through Nov. 17.