Pope Leo XIV will miss a planned trip to Assisi this week after doctors advised against the helicopter journey to the Italian town as he recovers from lung cancer surgery, the Vatican said on Friday. Source: NCR Online.
The Pope had been due to attend a gathering tomorrow marking the 40th anniversary of St John Paul II’s World Day of Prayer for Peace.
The Vatican said Pope Leo, 71, was advised not to travel “to facilitate his recovery” from his October 13 operation. The Pope will instead send a message to the organisers, interfaith leaders and guests attending the “Disarmed and Disarming Peace” event.
In a separate statement, the Pope’s doctors said a follow-up chest X-ray confirmed he’s recovering well, but given the short time that has elapsed since the operation, they recommended as a precaution that he not make the helicopter trip.
The Vatican said Pope Leo wanted to express his closeness to participants and reaffirm his belief that the “spirit of Assisi”, dialogue and the search for words and gestures of peace remain valuable resources at a time of conflict.
The Assisi meeting commemorates the landmark interfaith peace gathering convened by St John Paul II in 1986.
The cancellation is the latest change to Pope Leo’s schedule since surgeons removed a lobe where the nodule, later diagnosed as malignant, was located. It was the first major health event of Pope Leo’s 17-month pontificate. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.
The Pope will need no further treatment for lung cancer after tests confirmed the disease was localised, but his activities will be guided by medical advice during his recovery, the Vatican said.
Thoracic surgeons often advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery – which would give the Pope just the interval needed to make his planned November 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, involving a dozen flights and two helicopter rides to high altitudes.
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Pope Leo XIV cancels Assisi trip on doctors’ advice as he recovers from surgery (By Giada Zampano, AP via NCR Online)
