Pope visits high Andes, testing cancer recovery

CUZCO, Peru: Pope Leo XIV on Sunday (Nov 15) faced his toughest physical test since undergoing lung cancer surgery, visiting high-altitude Cusco on the final full day of his South America tour.

The 71-year-old pontiff, who had part of a lung removed a month ago, arrived in the ancient Inca capital, more than 3,400 metres above sea level - high enough to leave many a visitor breathless.

Children in brightly woven ponchos and embroidered skirts greeted the pope as he stepped off the plane for the latest stop on an intense 12-day trip through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

"To be honest, I thought it might be cancelled," said Valentin Cruz Turpo, aged 29. "But I still had hope, because God is powerful and can do anything."

Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of a city that for centuries before the Spanish conquest was the "navel of the world" - a hub of learning and discovery in art, science and culture. 

The pope visited a vast stone fortress that crowns a hill above Cusco, where troupes of musicians and ritual dancers from across the mountains gathered for a prayer service.

"The beauty of this place that welcomes us this morning is undeniable," said the pontiff. "Saqsaywaman rises toward the Andean sky like a stone altar, where the ancients climbed in search of the divine."

Under light drizzle, the faithful cheered him on.

"There has come to be a meeting point between the Catholic faith and the Andean beliefs that we have," said engineer Adriano Fuyo Mora, 35, who described himself as "Catholic, Christian, and above all as an Andean, drawing on the traditions of my parents and ancestors."

Later on Sunday he will travel to the Peruvian Amazon as part of a demanding day that will be closely watched for signs that his recovery remains on track. 

The US-born pope spent nearly two decades as a missionary in Peru before becoming head of the Catholic Church. 

His homecoming has included emotional reunions in Chiclayo, where he served as bishop, and repeated references to the country he has described as his adopted homeland. 

His recent surgery cast doubt on whether the trip could go ahead as planned. 

But Leo kept the demanding itinerary, thanking Peruvians on Friday for their prayers and support, "in particular for my health."  

In South America, home to the world's largest Catholic population, Leo has sought to reinvigorate a faith that is losing followers in parts of the region.

He has used the trip to defend the poor and marginalised, denounce violence and express concern over falling birth rates. 

Later Sunday he was scheduled to fly to Pucallpa, one of the largest cities in the Peruvian Amazon, to meet Indigenous leaders and hear concerns about threats facing rainforest communities. 

Located on the Ucayali River, Pucallpa is at the heart of a region that has become one of Peru's deforestation hotspots. 

According to government figures, Peru lost 3.2 million hectares of forest between 2001 and 2024 - an area the size of Belgium. 

Indigenous leader Fernando Carteiro said local communities hoped the pope would draw attention to their struggle. 

"The message he can give is not only for Peru, it will be for the whole world," he told AFP, adding that communities would welcome a pope willing to "speak on our side". 

Leo was due to watch a traditional Shipibo-Konibo dance before delivering remarks expected to focus on drug trafficking, illegal logging and pollution in the Amazon. 

He will also take part in a ceremony involving a shihuahuaco tree, an Amazon species prized by loggers but capable of living for more than 1,000 years, before celebrating a Mass and returning to Lima.