Pope Leo XIV has cancelled a planned visit to Assisi scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, after his medical team advised against travelling by helicopter so soon after his lung surgery. The Vatican Press Office said that a follow-up chest X-ray confirmed an excellent postoperative recovery, but that doctors considered air travel inadvisable at this stage.
The pontiff had been expected to take part in the gathering « Paz desarmada y desarmante » (« Disarmed and Disarming Peace »), held in the context of the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace launched by Saint John Paul II. Despite his absence, the Holy See confirmed that it will send an institutional message to those attending the event. The decision means that the pope will not appear in person at a commemoration that marks four decades of an initiative begun by his predecessor.
The operation followed a diagnosis that Leo XIV disclosed himself during the Angelus prayer, when he reported the presence of a nodule in his right lung. He is 71 years old and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic on October 13. A subsequent histopathological examination identified a localised adenocarcinoma, and surgeons removed the lower lobe of the right lung. Doctors confirmed the success of the procedure and said the condition had not spread, so no additional treatment was required.
After being discharged, the pope resumed his public schedule in St. Peter's Square, leading the general audience and travelling through the crowd in the popemobile. The Vatican has not altered plans for his Latin American tour, which runs from November 6 to 17 and includes visits to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The itinerary is demanding, with 14 flights, more than forty addresses, nine large public masses and a stop in Cusco at over 3,000 metres above sea level, where helicopter use is also planned.