Pope begins lengthy trip to Latin America weeks after lung cancer surgery
Pope Leo XIV has embarked on a 12-day tour of Latin America, including Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, just three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery. The Vatican maintains that the Pope is in good health and the trip will proceed as scheduled.
Why it matters
The trip is a significant diplomatic and religious event, and the Pope's health status is a matter of international public interest.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Pope Leo is travelling to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru
Pope Leo XIV is beginning a lengthy trip to Latin America just three weeks after surgery for lung cancer - a tour that includes a much-anticipated "homecoming" to Peru where he was a priest for many years.
The Vatican says no extraordinary measures are being taken in relation to the Pope's health, describing him as a "71-year-old who has undergone an operation" not someone with a "permanent medical condition".
It was Leo himself who revealed last month that doctors had discovered a tumour during a routine scan. The growth was removed along with the lower lobe of his right lung and his medical team then confirmed the cancer had not spread.
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