Pope Leo XIV Walks and Eats After Lung Cancer Surgery at Gemelli

Pope Leo XIV is walking in his hospital room, eating breakfast and lunch, and receiving respiratory physiotherapy one day after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung, according to a joint statement from his doctors released by the Vatican on 14 October.

Dr Luigi Carbone, the pope's personal physician, and thoracic surgeon Dr Stefano Margaritora said blood tests and a chest X-ray showed values within the expected range for the procedure. Recovery is proceeding as planned, they stated.

The operation took place on 13 October at Rome's Gemelli hospital. It lasted about 90 minutes within a three-hour period in the operating room. Intraoperative histology confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, matching preoperative suspicions. The surgery used a video-assisted technique for radical resection of the affected tissue.

The 71-year-old American pontiff spent a tranquil first night in the hospital. He awoke normally, returned to a room on the 10th floor, and spent the evening with secretaries and staff. All audiences are cancelled through 20 October. Doctors have not yet discussed chemotherapy or further treatment pending additional tests on the removed tissue.

This is Leo XIV's first hospitalization since his election in 2025. The Vatican has provided more open updates than in some past papal health episodes. Specialists outside the Vatican note that for early-stage, localized adenocarcinoma after complete lobe removal, patients can often resume normal activity within weeks if no spread is found. Staging results are still pending.

Keiko Fujimori, a Peruvian political figure, said on local television that the pace of recovery could affect whether the pope proceeds with a planned November visit to Peru. The Vatican has not commented on that trip.

The diagnosis introduces uncertainty for the Catholic Church's leadership calendar, but the immediate clinical picture shows steady early recovery without reported complications.