Pope Leo walks and eats normally after lung cancer surgery, thanks faithful for prayers
Pope Leo XIV was walking and eating normally on the second day of his hospital stay in Rome, the Vatican said on Wednesday, 14 October, after surgery removed the lower lobe of his right lung.
Surgery in Rome
Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery on Tuesday, 13 October, at the Agostino Gemelli hospital in Rome. Doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung after a nodule was found in it. The procedure lasted about 90 minutes, and the pope spent around three hours in the operating room, according to the Vatican. A tissue examination during the operation confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the diagnosis doctors had suspected from earlier tests. Surgeons described the operation as successful with no complications. The pope had told crowds in St Peter's Square during the weekend of 10 and 11 October that a growth in his lung had been detected at an early stage.
- Surgery removes the lower lobe of the right lung, lasting about 90 minutes
- Vatican bulletin reports normal recovery and walking
- Last day of cancelled public appearances
Recovery and medical bulletin
The Vatican press office released a medical bulletin around 3 pm on Wednesday, 14 October, signed by Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora. It reported a quiet night in hospital, with the pope walking inside the hospital and eating breakfast and lunch as expected. Blood tests and a chest X-ray taken after the operation fell within normal ranges for this type of surgery. The doctors said the results confirm a normal postoperative recovery. Medical staff added that he had started breathing exercises, and Vatican sources said his mood remained good.
First message and schedule
On Wednesday the pope sent his first message since the operation to participants in a symposium marking ten years since the publication of Amoris laetitia, the document on families written by his predecessor, Pope Francis. He said he had been unable to be among them in recent days and thanked them for their prayers and shared work. He then asked for their prayers in return.
Please pray for me, as I pray for you.
He has cancelled all public appearances until 20 October because of his treatment. A long trip to South America is still planned for November.
Family history and medical context
The pope's older brother, Louis Prevost, is being treated for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, according to American media. He lives in Florida and was first diagnosed in 2017. A remission that followed a 2019 stem cell transplant ended about three months ago, and he has joined a new clinical trial. The pope's wife of the brother, Deborah, confirmed these reports shortly after the Vatican statement, saying the family is praying and supporting both brothers. Both parents died of cancer in the 1990s, and the pope's mother died on 18 June 1990. The pope is not known to be a smoker and has tried to live healthily.
Adenocarcinoma accounts for about 40% of all lung cancer diagnoses and is found more often in people who have never smoked. Juanita Mora, a scientific spokesperson for the American Pulmonary Society, said the early detection was favourable for the pope.
The fact that Pope Leo presented a localized adenocarcinoma detected at an early stage works in his favor, especially after surgical removal.
