VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV will not travel to Assisi on Oct. 27 after his doctors advised against the planned helicopter journey as a precaution, the Vatican announced Oct. 23.

The pope was scheduled to attend the closing day of the Community of Sant’Egidio’s annual interreligious gathering, titled “Disarmed and Disarming Peace.” He had also been expected to join Christian leaders for a prayer service in the Lower Basilica of St. Francis.

Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople was scheduled to participate in the gathering, which runs from Oct. 25 through Oct. 27. Pope Leo will instead send a message to the organizers, religious leaders and representatives, and others attending the meeting.

The event marks the 40th anniversary of the peace meeting convened by St. John Paul II in Assisi on Oct. 27, 1986.

Medical update

Pope Leo was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Oct. 13. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung, and tests confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer.

In a statement dated Oct. 21, the pope’s medical team, Drs. Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora, said a chest X-ray showed “excellent post-operative progress.” They also said a subsequent cancer evaluation confirmed that no additional treatment was necessary.