Pope Leo XIV has begun walking and eating after surgeons removed a cancerous tumour from his lung, with early tests indicating that his recovery is following a “normal” post-operative course, his doctors said.
Surgeons removed part of the pope’s right lung during an operation yesterday at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. The 71-year-old leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is now waiting for biopsy results that will show whether the cancer has spread.
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Blood tests and a chest X-ray “confirm a normal post-operative course”, doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora said in a statement issued by the Vatican.
“The values are within the expected range for the type of procedure performed,” they said.
“It’s a shock for everyone. We’re in ‘wait-and-see’ mode,” a Vatican source said.
Doctors said the pontiff’s recovery was “proceeding as expected”. He had eaten breakfast and lunch, walked around his room and completed respiratory physiotherapy, they said.
A second Vatican source said the pope had also celebrated mass on Wednesday in a specially prepared room on the 10th floor of the hospital, where he is staying.
The papal suite on that floor is normally used when popes receive treatment. It includes a private chapel but is currently undergoing refurbishment.
Support floods in from around the world for pope
The sporty pope, who was elected as the first pontiff from the United States only last year, unexpectedly announced after Sunday prayers that he would need surgery.
Messages of support arrived from across the globe, including from Britain’s King Charles III, who is also undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
A banner outside the hospital proclaimed “Long live the pope!”, while a small group of people gathered to recite prayers for the hospitalised pontiff.
Pope Leo greets well wishers as he arrives at the Gemelli hospital yesterday
Nun Angele Bilegue, who was nearby, said she had come to pray for Leo.
“I’m not worried. I came to express my closeness, to show my spiritual support, because I also came for Pope Francis,” she said.
Leo’s predecessor, the Argentine Pope Francis, spent five weeks at the same hospital last year while being treated for double pneumonia. He died at the Vatican on 21 April 2025.
Experts said the outlook would depend largely on how advanced Leo’s cancer was and whether it had spread. The Vatican has said the disease was found early and remained localised.
Before the operation, the Vatican said the pope was expected to recover in about a week. All his audiences have been cancelled until 20 October.
“If we are dealing with stage I or II disease, and recovery is good… the patient can resume a normal life and usual activities within a few weeks,” Alain Gelibter, an oncologist at Rome’s Policlinico Umberto I hospital, said.
The Chicago-born pope arrived at the hospital yesterday smiling and waving to those gathered outside.
During the operation, dozens of faithful prayed for his health in the hospital chapel.
New uncertainty in church
The unexpected news about the tennis-playing pope’s illness has unsettled the Catholic Church.
Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who has covered the institution for decades, told AFP: “The church is now in a state of uncertainty. When Leo was elected everyone foresaw a long papacy.”
Hendro Munsterman, a theologian and expert for Dutch newspaper Nederlands Dagblad, said: “We have a pope whom everyone described as young, active and athletic. Now, we have a pope who also has his own vulnerabilities, which will change his image.”
Mr Munsterman said the health scare could encourage Leo to accelerate decisions on personnel appointments.
Mr Politi said Leo had been working to “repair” divisions between different wings of the Church, adding that many would want him “to continue with this important mission as soon as possible”.
Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, recently nominated for the influential post of dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated mass in St Peter’s Square today in place of Leo.
The operation has also cast doubt over whether Pope Leo will make a lengthy visit next month to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he spent two decades working as a missionary.
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