Two weeks after Pope Leo XIV’s surgery for lung cancer, his doctor confirmed he can fly to South America according to the previously released schedule, with Uruguay, Argentina and Peru planned as stops for his Nov. 6-17 trip, the longest trip of the pontificate so far.

“Based on his current clinical status, as well as the instrumental and laboratory tests performed, there are no contraindications that would prevent him from undertaking his upcoming apostolic journey to Latin America as planned,” Dr. Luigi Carbone, the papal doctor said in a statement released by the Holy See Press Office Oct. 26.

The pope “is following medical recommendations with great care and diligence, and with a deep determination to continue serving the Church,” the statement read, confirming that the apostolic trip to South America “will proceed according to the program previously published.”

“The Holy Father looks forward with great joy and enthusiasm to this journey,” it added, highlighting that the trip — to the continent where Pope Leo served as a missionary and where he was a bishop — will offer “opportunities to strengthen the bonds of communion with the local Churches, encourage the faithful in their mission, and bring a message of faith, hope, and peace.”

“I am looking forward to returning to the continent where I’ve experienced so many moments of my life,” Leo said, according to the statement. “May this journey be an occasion for us to open our hearts to one another, strengthen our communion as brothers and sisters, and renew our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel with joy.”

Advance team lands in Peru for final preparatory visit

Msgr. Guillermo Inca Pereda, coordinator of Leo visit to Peru, confirmed to Peruvian TV station TVPE Noticias that the news aboutLeo’s surgery never interrupted preparations for the trip and that the third advance team mission from the Vatican arrived in Peru Oct. 26.

The media speculated that parts of the schedule could be altered, especially the high altitude trip to Cusco, which is located 11,1500 feet above sea level, and it is recommended that even a healthy person adjust before planning intense activities.

Guillermo confirmed however that Cusco — on the papal itinerary for Nov. 15 — was not excluded from the papal visit to Peru.

“Nothing is ruled out. Everything remains as the Holy Father envisioned it. He always wanted to go to Cusco because it holds an important significance: the encounter with the popular faith and religiosity of the region,” he told the Peruvian television channel. “He wants to be there. That’s why I believe Cusco will always be on his list,” he said.

However, Peruvian organizers remain extra cautious regarding the trip, and for his Nov. 11-16 encounter with the nation, “he will have a specialized ambulance, as befits a head of state, which will accompany the delegation at all times,” Guillermo said.