Pope Leo calls for universal healthcare weeks after lung cancer surgery

Key points

• Pope Leo XIV called for universal healthcare in Uruguay, weeks after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung.
• He said illness showed him the limits of the body and made him think of people who cannot get timely diagnosis or treatment.
• The 12-day trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is the longest international journey of his pontificate so far.

Pope Leo XIV used his first speech in Uruguay on Friday to call for healthcare accessible to everyone, drawing on his own recent illness and surgery for lung cancer. He was released from Rome's Gemelli Hospital four days after a cancerous tumor was removed from his right lung, and his doctors said he needed no further treatment and was cleared to travel.

Speaking to Uruguay's political and civic leaders, the Pope said his experience had made him think of people who lack the means to get a timely diagnosis or the treatment they need. He said ensuring healthcare is available regardless of resources is a duty for every society. Uruguay is the first stop of a 12-day trip that also includes Argentina and Peru.

Appeal for a fairer society

Leo's healthcare remarks were part of a wider appeal for a society that protects the most vulnerable and shares economic development beyond the elite. He said wealth creation and economic initiative must translate into goods and opportunities that reach everyone, and that a country's success is measured by how it protects human dignity.

He praised Uruguay for four decades of uninterrupted democracy. He also defended children, including the unborn, saying their dependence on their mother does not reduce the dignity or protection they deserve. He said technology and artificial intelligence must serve people rather than replace workers.

Recently I experienced firsthand the limitations imposed by illness and I received care for which I am grateful

— Pope Leo XIV

Travel plans and health

The trip is the longest international journey of his pontificate so far, with 19,000 travel miles, 14 flights, 36 speeches and about 50 events. Vatican officials said a medical team would travel with him as is customary, and a spokesman described him as "a 71-year-old person in good health."

Leo holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship and spent decades in the region as an Augustinian missionary and then as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. He remains in Uruguay until Sunday, when he travels to Argentina and Peru. The Vatican spokesman said he would address the environment, arms tracking and political instability, and meet survivors of clerical sex abuse.