Pope Leo’s doctors report improving recovery after lung-cancer surgery
Pope Leo XIV’s doctors reported continued postoperative improvement on October 16, three days after surgery that confirmed lung cancer; a cancer stage has not been announced.
Pope Leo XIV is recovering after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung on October 13 and confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
On October 16, his doctors said blood tests and a chest X-ray showed continued improvement and that he could manage normal daily activities independently. [1][2]
The Vatican said he celebrated Mass with members of Gemelli Hospital’s medical staff on Friday. Those are encouraging signs of postoperative recovery, but they do not establish the cancer’s stage or whether further treatment will be needed. Those details have not been announced. [1][3]
The distinction is medical as well as public: recovery from an operation and assessment of the underlying cancer are different questions. An outside thoracic surgeon interviewed by the National Catholic Reporter explained that examination of removed tissue and lymph nodes guides decisions about further treatment. [3]
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Paste the brief into your voice app to discuss this reporting.The October 16 recovery bulletin and confirmed October 13 diagnosis follow the hospital admission previewed October 12; the earlier surgery plan is not redated as new. Checked 16 October 2026.
Reporting sources
- Vatican News · October 16 medical bulletin
Original Holy See Press Office statement from the treating doctors: improving blood tests and chest X-ray, physiotherapy and independent daily activities. A recovery update, not a staging report.
- Vatican News · Surgery and diagnosis
October 14 account of the October 13 surgery: right lower-lobe resection and pulmonary adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis is not newly dated October 16.
- National Catholic Reporter · Independent clinical context
October 14 original reporting by Justin McLellan. Thoracic surgeon Alexis Chidi, who is not treating the Pope, explains how pathology and lymph-node findings inform additional treatment. Her general explanation is not his prognosis.
- Wikimedia Commons · Photograph and licence
Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar; Pope Leo XIV at the media audience on May 12, 2025. CC BY-SA 4.0, permission recorded by Wikimedia VRT. Historical image, not the current hospital appearance.
Images & figures
Pope Leo XIV at a media audience · 12 May 2025.
Edgar Beltrán / The Pillar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0