Vatican says Pope Leo cleared for Latin America trip after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV will go ahead with his Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the Vatican said Monday, after doctors found no medical reason to stop him traveling following lung cancer surgery. The Vatican press office said the 71-year-old pope's recovery is progressing in line with favorable assessments from his medical team and the published program is unchanged. Surgeons removed a lung lobe on Oct. 13; the surgery confirmed adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. His physician, Luigi Carbone, said nothing medically prevents the journey, which covers 10 cities and includes Cuzco, Peru, at more than 11,000 feet. Last week, on doctors' advice, Leo canceled a helicopter visit to Assisi because of unpressurized air. Leo said he looks forward to returning to the continent where he has lived many moments of his life.

The New York Post, on the right, leads with the Vatican's confirmation and supplies the surgery date, the adenocarcinoma diagnosis, Carbone's assessment and Leo's own words of gratitude and hope, describing a dozen flights and two helicopter rides to high altitudes. CBS News, on the left, leads with how soon after surgery the clearance came and quotes the Vatican's statement that nothing contraindicates travel. It stresses the strain: 14 flights, 10 cities, Cuzco's thin air and the canceled Assisi trip. They differ on timing, with CBS saying two weeks and the Post three, and on flight counts. AP's text matches the Post's.