Pope Leo XIV walks and eats after lung cancer surgery at Gemelli

Pope Leo XIV spent a peaceful night at Rome's Gemelli hospital and began walking, eating, and doing respiratory exercises on Wednesday, one day after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed he has lung adenocarcinoma.

Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, who led the thoracic surgery team, reported that blood tests and a chest X-ray showed values within the expected range for the procedure. The 71-year-old pontiff resumed a regular diet, taking breakfast and lunch, and started moving around his room on the hospital's 10th floor.

The Vatican said the roughly 90-minute operation on Tuesday proceeded without complications. Surgeons used a video-assisted technique to remove the lower lobe in order to achieve a radical resection of the nodule that preoperative tests had flagged as suspicious. Intraoperative examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.

Leo entered the hospital through the main entrance on Tuesday afternoon, waving to well-wishers gathered outside. He had announced the planned procedure at the previous Sunday's Angelus, describing the nodule as small and localized and discovered during routine examinations. All public audiences and events have been cancelled through 20 October. The Holy See Press Office expects the hospital stay to last about one week.

Further tests are under way to determine whether the cancer has spread beyond the removed tissue. The medical statement made no reference to chemotherapy or other adjuvant treatment at this stage. Oncologists familiar with the case note that early-stage adenocarcinomas treated by complete surgical removal often carry a favourable prognosis, though staging will depend on the size of the mass, lymph-node involvement, and molecular markers still being analysed.

The operation marks the first publicly disclosed major health issue of Leo's 17-month papacy. Unlike some predecessors, the American-born pontiff has released unusually detailed medical updates. There is no formal Vatican protocol for temporary incapacity; papal authority continues regardless of the pope's physical condition.

Leo's planned November visit to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru remains on the calendar for now. Oncologists typically advise against flying for roughly three weeks after such surgery, which would still leave a narrow window for the itinerary that includes multiple flights and altitude changes in Peru. The Vatican has not indicated any change.

Messages of support have arrived from Catholic leaders and governments worldwide. In Rome, faithful have gathered near the hospital and at St Peter's Square to pray. The prefecture of the papal household has cleared the pope's schedule through the end of next week so that recovery can proceed without public obligations.

Doctors described the recovery as proceeding as expected. The next medical bulletin will likely address the results of the additional pathology and imaging that will clarify whether further treatment is required.