Pope Leo kicks off South American tour weeks after lung surgery

Daily Sabah · Reuters · 2026-11-06 08:40 UTC

Pope Leo departed Friday for an ambitious 12-day tour of South America, where he is expected to draw crowds of millions as the first U.S.-born pontiff...

Pope Leo departed Friday for an ambitious 12-day tour of South America, where he is expected to draw crowds of millions as the first U.S.-born pontiff returns to a Catholic stronghold where he spent decades serving as a missionary.

The 71-year-old pope, who underwent lung cancer surgery last month, will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru through Nov. 17 in what is expected to be one of the most demanding overseas trips by a Catholic leader in decades.

The Vatican said this week that Leo had fully recovered from the operation and would require no special medical precautions during the tour. He is expected to cover approximately 31,000 kilometers (19,300 miles), visit 10 cities and deliver 36 speeches during the 12-day journey.

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