The key facts

  • Leo XIV (71) underwent a ninety-minute operation to remove the lower lobe of his right lung with a tumor that turned out to be malignant.
  • Doctors report recovery 'on schedule'; an X-ray showed 'good recovery' of the operated lung.
  • The pope will remain in hospital for about a week; audiences are canceled until October 20, and the fate of the November tour of South America is unclear.

Course of recovery

Pope Leo XIV is recovering after surgery performed on Tuesday at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed, where a suspicious tumor had previously been detected; the operation lasted an hour and a half. According to Vatican News, after the surgery it emerged that the growth was malignant.

Reports from doctors and the Vatican

On Thursday, the pontiff's doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora reported that the morning scheduled examinations gave normal results, and a chest X-ray showed 'good recovery of the operated lung'; recovery, in their words, 'is progressing as expected.' Earlier, the Vatican reported on Telegram that the pope 'spent a good night,' got up and had breakfast. According to a Vatican source, on Wednesday the pope celebrated Mass in a specially prepared room on the tenth floor of the hospital.

Next steps

Doctors now have to determine whether metastases have spread: the pope is awaiting biopsy results. According to Euronews in Russian, Leo XIV will remain in hospital for about a week, and doctors are not yet considering chemotherapy — at least until more precise test results are received. The pontiff's audiences are canceled until October 20.

Uncertainty over the trip

It remains unclear whether the pope will be able to make the tour of Argentina, Peru and Uruguay planned for early November, which was to be the longest of his pontificate. Outside the hospital, many Catholics gathered at the entrance to Gemelli to pray for the health of the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics; the pope announced his intention to undergo surgery on Sunday.