In brief
Pope Leo XIV underwent a 90‑minute operation that removed the lower lobe of his right lung after a nodular growth was confirmed as adenocarcinoma. Vatican doctors say he woke normally, resumed walking and a regular diet, and is receiving physiotherapy while staying at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for about a week. The removal was described as radical to excise all suspicious tissue, and no complications were reported. The news follows the pope’s announcement that surgery was needed during Sunday prayers, shocking Catholics worldwide and echoing earlier hospital visits by Pope Francis.
Pope Leo XIV’s recovery is progressing as doctors expected following a major lung surgery in Rome.
The 71‑year‑old pontiff underwent a nearly 90‑minute procedure to remove the entire lower lobe of his right lung at Gemelli Hospital after a nodular growth was found to be adenocarcinoma.
In a Vatican update, doctors said he has woken normally, has begun walking around his rooms and has returned to a regular diet. He is also receiving respiratory physiotherapy and will stay in the hospital for roughly a week.
The removal was deemed “radical” to excise all suspicious tissue. Blood tests and an X‑ray taken on Wednesday show his recovery is normal and there were no complications.
The news came after the pope, who appeared healthy during his Sunday prayers, had already announced the need for surgery. His diagnosis – adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer – has stunned Catholics worldwide, echoing earlier hospital visits by Pope Francis.
