The Vatican has said Pope Leo XIV's recovery is "progressing normally" after he underwent surgery on Tuesday. The 71-year-old had part of his right lung removed during a 90-minute operation at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he is expected to remain for about a week.
The Pope has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of the disease, it was announced yesterday. In a fresh update, Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, head of Thoracic Surgery at the hospital and a member of the surgical team, said the Pontiff had begun walking around his room today.
Doctors confirm post-operative progress
Dr Carbone and Professor Margaritora said: "This morning, the Holy Father underwent the blood tests and chest X-ray scheduled after surgery. The results confirm that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally: the values are within the expected range for the type of operation performed."
His medical team added that he is having respiratory physiotherapy and had "resumed eating normally", with Leo having eaten breakfast and lunch. The latest update made no mention of future treatment, and Leo's diary has been cleared until October 20.
Global well wishes and prayers
Well wishes for the American Pontiff have poured in from across the globe. It is understood King Charles will write to Leo privately following his diagnosis. Archbishop Richard Moth, who is Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, asked people to pray that the Pope "may be restored to full health after a period of rest and recuperation".
It was Leo himself who revealed the discovery of the small, localised nodule during his weekly Sunday noon prayer in St Peter's Square. Leo, who was elected during the conclave in May 2025, had walked into the hospital through the main entrance earlier on Tuesday, waving to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him.
Further tests and upcoming travel
A Vatican source told news agency AFP that further tests were now being carried out to see whether the cancer had spread. The Pope is scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru next month.
Peru is a country the pope knows very well, he first arrived as a missionary in the 1980s, later serving as a bishop there and acquiring citizenship. As a young missionary priest, he came down with typhoid fever in 1985, soon after arriving in Chulucanas, Peru.
