Pope’s surgeon: No clinical reason to cancel visit to South America
October 20, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: Professor Stefano Margaritora, who led the surgical team that operated on Pope Leo XIV on October 13, said in an interview that the Pontiff should be fully recovered around October 27, two weeks after the surgery.
Referring to the Pontiff’s apostolic journey to Latin America, which is scheduled to begin on November 6, Margaritora said that “as for a long trip involving air travel,” there are “no clinical reasons why it should not take place.”
The surgeon revealed that “the discovery of the Pope’s malignant lung tumor was entirely accidental.”
“During routine abdominal examinations, this small spot was found in the chest, at the base of the lung,” he said. “This is fairly normal because, when radiological examinations of the abdomen are performed, the lower part of the lungs is usually visible, since the diaphragm is shaped somewhat like a parachute. However, if this small spot had been a little higher up, it certainly would not have been seen.”
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