Pope Leo, maybe hospitalized tomorrow. Trip to South America in November confirmed for now

Pope Leo XIV has a lung nodule "in the early stages and well localised". It was the pontiff himself who announced it during the Angelus, underlining that "the doctors deem it appropriate to intervene" and "so following their advice I decided to have surgery to remove it". The surgery that Pope Prevost will undergo "is already scheduled for the next few days", he added. However, his trip to South America scheduled for 6 to 17 November remains confirmed at the moment. Greeting the Peruvian faithful in St. Peter's Square, in procession for the Senor de los milagros, Leo said: "Thank you for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru."

According to what the Vatican reports, Leone underwent a check-up in recent days for what was thought to be inflammation. Once the lump was discovered, the doctors suggested surgery to remove the lump. The intervention "is scheduled for the first days of next week", specified Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. While the expected time "for post-operative hospitalization is about a week", he reiterated. According to what we understand, the Holy Father is expected to undergo surgery at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome and his hospitalization could take place on Tuesday 13 October. At the moment his agenda remains unchanged, apart from the immediate appointments next week.

The Pope expects to recover in a short time and make, as planned, the trip to South America which between 6 and 17 November will take him to Uruguay, Argentina and finally to Peru, the country in which he lived for twenty years as a missionary and then bishop. During the trip, the pontiff will face around twenty transfers between planes and helicopters from Montevideo to Chiclayo, the small diocese in northern Peru where the return of the bishop they called "Father Roberto" is awaited. For the moment, the pontiff's participation in the celebrations of the forty years since the first interreligious meeting for peace called for by John Paul II in 1986, scheduled for 27 October in Assisi, also remains confirmed.

In the meantime, numerous messages of sympathy and good wishes have arrived from the world of the Church and politics. This is the case of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella: "In view of your hospitalization in the next few days, the affectionate thoughts of all Italians reach you, of which I act as an interpreter by joining you with my staff. The Italian people are close to you and express their feelings of affection to you", wrote the Head of State. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also joined in the greetings: "I would like to extend my personal closeness and that of the Italian government to the Holy Father for the test he is called to face in the coming days. The serenity and tranquility with which he spoke about it in today's Angelus hearten us. I am sure that the Italian people will also not fail to provide their support and affection".