Pope Leo XIV begins recovery after lung surgery
The Vatican says initial tests are normal and the pope has started walking again.
Follow-up to: Pope Leo XIV successfully operated on for lung nodule Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 20:59
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Pope Leo XIV is eating normally again, doing breathing exercises and walking in his hospital room. The Vatican reports that blood tests and an X-ray indicate a normal post-operative recovery after surgery to remove a malignant lung tumour.
The pope’s doctors said on Wednesday that the first checks after the operation were within the expected ranges. According to the medical bulletin, Leo XIV has resumed his normal diet and started walking and breathing physiotherapy. His first night at Gemelli Hospital in Rome passed peacefully, according to the Vatican.
During Tuesday’s operation, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed. A tissue examination during the procedure confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer. The operation lasted about an hour and a half and proceeded without complications, according to the doctors.
The operation followed the earlier announcement that a small, localised nodule had been found in the pope’s lung. The Vatican had said at the time that the procedure was expected to require about a week of recovery. The new medical update is therefore a first report on his condition after the procedure, not on the eventual prognosis.
The doctors still need to carry out additional analyses to establish the tumour’s precise characteristics and whether further treatment is needed. No result has yet been announced on any spread of the disease. Nor can any reliable conclusion about the pope’s future state of health be drawn from this at present.
The Vatican has given no new date for the resumption of all public activities. Reporting on the pope will therefore remain primarily medical and procedural for the time being: the first checks are reassuring, but important information about treatment and the longer term is still missing.
Leo XIV is 71 years old and has led the Roman Catholic Church since his election. His temporary absence does not affect the church’s formal governing structure, but it does limit his public appearances while he recovers in hospital.
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The medical facts can be traced directly to the Vatican’s medical bulletin and AP. The text makes no statements about a prognosis or treatment that is not yet known.
- confirmed Leo XIV is eating again, walking and doing breathing physiotherapy. — Reported by the doctors via AP. source
- confirmed Blood tests and an X-ray indicate a normal post-operative recovery. — Confirmed by the Vatican’s medical bulletin. source
- confirmed The lower right lung lobe was removed and the tissue examination confirmed adenocarcinoma. — Reported by Vatican News and AP. source
- confirmed There is still no result on any spread of the disease or follow-up treatment. — AP says that additional tests are still needed. source
Editor's note
The medical update comes from the doctors and the Vatican and was independently reported by AP. The prognosis and any follow-up treatment remain unknown.Sources
- Pope Leo is eating and recovering after cancer surgery — Associated Press
- Pope Leo has calm night after successful lung surgery — Vatican News
- Cancerous tumor removed from Pope Leo's lung — United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The story so far
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 12:59 Pope Leo XIV admitted for lung operation
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 20:59 Pope Leo XIV successfully operated on for lung nodule
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 22:58 Vatican confirms lung cancer in Pope Leo XIV
- Wednesday, 14 October 2026, 04:57 Ill pope formally remains in charge of the Church
- Wednesday, 14 October 2026, 16:28 Pope Leo XIV begins recovery after lung surgery (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „paus leo xiv”
- NOS — „paus leo xiv”
- Het Parool — „paus leo xiv”