ع
The Vatican said on Wednesday that blood tests and a chest X-ray performed on Pope Leo XIV confirmed a normal post-operative recovery following his lung cancer surgery the previous day. Doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora stated that the values were within the expected range for the type of procedure performed. The 71-year-old pontiff underwent respiratory physiotherapy began walking in his room resumed his regular diet and had breakfast and lunch according to the medical update from the Holy See Press Office. His recovery is proceeding as planned the doctors added in their bulletin.
A statement from the Holy See Press Office indicated that Pope Leo XIV had a calm first night in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital after the operation on Tuesday that removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The surgery which lasted about 90 minutes successfully addressed a cancerous mass identified as lung adenocarcinoma with no complications reported during or immediately after the procedure according to the Vatican. The pontiff awoke normally from anesthesia and returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor after a brief period of observation the medical team reported.
According to the Vatican the pope had decided to proceed with the surgery as soon as possible to avoid delaying a planned trip to Latin America scheduled for early November that includes a significant visit to Peru. All of the pope’s audiences and public events have been canceled until October 20 to facilitate his recuperation the prefecture of the papal household announced. Cardinal Pietro Parolin the Vatican Secretary of State told journalists that the cancer diagnosis had come as a bolt from the blue but that the cardinals were struck by the pope’s serenity and remained confident in his recovery.
This marks the first time Pope Leo XIV has been hospitalized since his election as pontiff on May 8 2025 according to details he shared in a 2025 interview with a U.S. journalist. The 71-year-old had been treated once before for typhoid fever in 1985 while working as a missionary priest in Peru that same interview revealed. A Reuters assessment of the procedure noted that it employed video-assisted minimally invasive chest surgery techniques which often enable patients to regain mobility within 48 to 72 hours.
AP News reported that the Gemelli Hospital maintains a special 10th-floor suite reserved for popes and that the medical team included thoracic surgeon Stefano Margaritora who led the operation alongside Carbone. The Vatican has indicated that the pope is expected to remain in the hospital for about one week assuming continued progress. Further tests on the removed tissue will be conducted in the coming days to assess whether the cancer had spread beyond the localized area the doctors said.
Vatican News detailed that after the operation the pope asked for dinner and spent the evening in the company of his secretaries and Vatican staff. The discovery of the adenocarcinoma during the procedure has prompted global prayers for the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics according to multiple international reports. Medical updates will continue to be issued by the Holy See Press Office as the pontiff’s recovery advances.
