Peruvian Catholics present this Sunday in St. Peter’s Square were surprised by the announcement from Leo XIV that he will undergo surgery for a lung nodule. They trust that the Pope will recover in time for the apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, scheduled from November 6 to 17, which the Holy See has not altered.
The announcement came at the end of the Angelus, when Leo XIV informed the faithful that doctors have detected a very early-stage and well-localized pulmonary nodule and that he has decided to undergo surgery following their advice, as reported by InfoVaticana. Among those listening was a group of Peruvians who had brought to the square an altar of the Lord of Miracles, one of the most deeply rooted devotions in Peru, especially celebrated in October.
Surprise among Peruvians in St. Peter’s Square
The Pope had greeted them shortly before and thanked them for their prayers for the pastoral visit he said he would make to Peru. The agency EFE, in a dispatch reproduced by Infobae, later captured the reaction of several of them. “The Pope has to go to Peru because he is Peruvian,” said Víctor, a member of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles in Rome.
Other faithful expressed their sadness upon hearing the news from the Pontiff himself and wished him a speedy recovery. A woman from Lima, Julia Chávez, asked that the Pope be able to bless a country that, in her words, is going through a very serious security situation. Faithful from Colombia and Venezuela joined in the good wishes, and one of them valued that Leo XIV had chosen to personally communicate his surgery.
What the surgery could mean for the trip
The Holy See has not announced any change to the apostolic journey, made public on August 5: Uruguay from November 6 to 8, Argentina from November 8 to 11, and Peru from November 11 to 17, with stops in Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco, and Pucallpa. The Pope’s words to the Peruvians, spoken when he already knew he would undergo surgery, suggest that his intention is to keep the schedule.
The calendar leaves little margin. Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, indicated that the procedure will take place in the first days of next week at the Gemelli Polyclinic and that the subsequent hospital stay will last approximately one week. If these timelines are met, the Pontiff would be discharged around October 20, a little more than two weeks before embarking on a twelve-day tour of three countries and ten cities.
Neither the Holy See nor the doctors have provided guidance on recovery, so any forecast about the trip is, for now, premature. The nature of the nodule or the type of intervention has not been disclosed either. ACI Prensa notes that hospitalization will require canceling commitments scheduled for the coming days.
For Peru, the visit holds special significance. Robert Prevost arrived in the country in 1985 as an Augustinian missionary, was bishop of Chiclayo, and holds Peruvian nationality. It would be his first trip to Latin America since his election. Leo XIV concluded his announcement by entrusting himself to the prayers of the faithful.