Pope walking and recovering 'as expected' after surgery, doctors say
The 71-year-old Pope was diagnosed with lung cancer after the 90-minute procedure on Tuesday.
Key points
- Pope Leo XIV is walking and eating normally after surgery to remove part of his right lung.
- Doctors say his recovery is progressing as expected at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.
- The surgery revealed lung adenocarcinoma, and he is expected to stay about a week.
Pope Leo XIV's recovery from surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung is "progressing as expected", his doctors said. The 71-year-old pontiff has begun walking and has resumed a normal diet after the roughly 90-minute procedure at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
The Vatican said the surgery was successful and free of complications. The Pope was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after the operation, and blood tests and an X-ray early on Wednesday showed his recovery was proceeding normally. He has also had respiratory physiotherapy and is expected to remain in hospital for about a week.
What the Vatican said
The whole lower lobe of the Pope's right lung was removed "to ensure the procedure was radical", the Vatican said. It said he awoke normally after the operation and returned to his room after a brief period of observation, then spent a peaceful night at the hospital.
The Vatican stressed that the Pope, generally thought to be fit, had no symptoms of infection or illness. A Vatican source told news agency AFP that further tests were carried out to see whether the cancer had spread.
After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room
— the Vatican
Announcement and reaction
During his weekly Sunday prayers, the Pope told the crowd in St Peter's Square that doctors had found a "well-contained" nodule on his lung "at an early stage" and advised him to have it removed. Nodules are common and not necessarily cancerous, but the medical team confirmed it was, as suspected by pre-operative tests.
The news has shaken Catholics worldwide, many of whom remember the hospital visits of Pope Francis. Pope Leo's predecessor, who died last year, also had part of his lung removed in his youth before later respiratory infections.
