Pope Leo XIV's surgeon: "no clinical reasons" against the November trip

At the time of his discharge from the Gemelli Hospital, Pope Leo XIV was "in entirely satisfactory clinical condition." This was said to Vatican News by Stefano Margaritora, the surgeon who operated on his lung on Tuesday 13 October, in an interview with Andrea Tornielli (Vatican News). On the trip to Latin America scheduled for November 6–17, the surgeon said: "I would say there are no clinical reasons why this visit should not take place." This is the doctor's assessment: the Holy See Press Office has not yet officially confirmed the trip.

His clinical condition. "His blood test results were completely normal, and his heart function was fine. The lung's re-expansion after surgery is proceeding according to the usual timetable. So, overall, his condition is good," said Margaritora, Professor of Thoracic Surgery at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and Director of the Thoracic Surgery Unit at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation. "Pope Leo was an ideal patient," he added. "He was always serene, always smiling," followed "every stage of our guidance on diet and physiotherapy" and "always did a little more than we asked of him."

The chairs in the chapel. Margaritora told Vatican News of an episode from the Pope's days in hospital: "On the second day after the operation, we turned around and found him arranging the chairs in the chapel himself. We said, 'Holy Father, we can do that.' And he replied, 'It doesn't matter. I can do it, so I will.' What can I say? He really was an absolutely ideal patient" (Vatican News).

The surgery. "The Holy Father's operation was routine in the sense that, in similar cases involving a lung tumor of a certain size, the entire lobe containing it has to be removed," Margaritora said; in the Pope's case, "the lower lobe of the right lung." "The operation went ahead without any complications." The discovery of the adenocarcinoma, he explained, was "entirely accidental," during routine abdominal examinations; the Pope "had no respiratory symptoms and felt perfectly well." "Operating on a Pope stirred a deep feeling that I cannot even describe," the surgeon said.

Recovery time. "Treating him as I would any other patient, I think it takes a couple of weeks to make a truly complete physical recovery after this kind of operation. Since almost a week has already passed, I believe the Pope could be fully recovered in another ten days or so."

The November 6–17 trip: what we know. The apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is scheduled for November 6–17. "As for a long trip involving air travel in about three weeks, I would say there are no clinical reasons why it should not take place," Margaritora said. This is a medical assessment, not an official decision: the Holy See Press Office has not yet announced confirmation of the trip or any changes to the programme. Pietro Parolin had said that trips "will depend on how he comes out of hospital" and on the doctors' advice. Earlier today journalist Mariana Rispoli told Radio Rivadavia, without official confirmation, that the Peru leg was in doubt because of the altitude (REPORT); in the interview Margaritora did not address the individual stops.

What remains to be known. Official confirmation of the trip and its programme rests with the Holy See. Audiences remain suspended until Tuesday 20 October. According to Il Messaggero (press reporting, not official), the results of the final histological examination are awaited. Tomorrow, Sunday 18 October, at noon the Pope will pray the Angelus from the window of the papal apartment.

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