Pope Leo XIV has told journalists who accompanied him to Latin America that he is in “pretty good health”, in his first comments on his condition since undergoing surgery for lung cancer. The Pope arrived in Uruguay, the first stop on a 12-day tour that he undertakes only three weeks after his operation. The 71-year-old pontiff also said he was “very happy” to be able to make the trip that was thrown into doubt last month when doctors discovered a tumor during a routine scan. The tour will cover Argentina and a long-awaited return to America Peru, which the Vatican described as a “homecoming” as the Pope was there for many years as a missionary and then as a bishop. “I must confess that, from the first day, I never had any doubts; I was convinced that this journey had to go ahead,” the Pope told reporters on his plane to Uruguay. “Thanks to the wonderful medical staff… I think I am in pretty good health,” Pope Leo confirmed. Last month’s operation to remove a tumor was successful and his doctors say the cancer has not spread. On Friday he arrived in Monetevideo to a boardwalk filled with crowds shouting his name as his Popemobile passed by. In his first speech of the trip, the Pope said universal healthcare should be “accessible to everyone.” He told the crowd at Plaza Independencia that the care he received made him think of “many men and women who lack the means to obtain a timely diagnosis” or receive treatment. He ended his day with a prayer in the Cathedral of Montevideo. Pope Leo will cover more than 20,000 miles on his sixth international tour. On Sunday he will travel to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who did not return during his own papacy. The Pope said his visit was intended to be close to people who were looking to the Church for a message of “hope.”
