Pope spends 'a wonderful night' in hospital after surgery, Trump wishes 'speedy recovery'

A poster wishing the Pope a speedy recovery was hung on the exterior wall of Rome's Gemelli Hospital where Roman Catholic Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery, with the words "Long Live the Pope." (Reuters)

The Vatican said on the 15th that Roman Catholic Pope Leo XIV had recently undergone lung cancer surgery and was currently recuperating. He spent a "good night" in the hospital and had breakfast early on the 15th.

A brief statement posted by the Vatican on Telegram said: "The Pope spent a good night in the hospital. He got up (on the 15th) and had breakfast."

The 71-year-old Pope Leo XIV announced on the 11th that he would undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule; on the 13th, the Holy See said after the pope's surgery at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome that the mass was malignant and that doctors had removed the lower lobe of the pope's right lung. On the 14th, the Vatican quoted his attending doctor as saying that the Pope’s recovery was “as smooth as expected.”

Vatican sources said that the Pope even celebrated Mass in a special room on the 10th floor of the hospital on the 14th. The pope is currently awaiting biopsy results to determine whether the cancer has spread.

The Vatican said before the operation that the pope was expected to take a week to recover. All papal audiences scheduled before October 20 have been cancelled.

US President Trump, who has criticized the Pope's anti-war stance, on the 14th offered his blessing to the Pope who was reported to have cancer. After speaking at a campaign rally in Arizona, Trump said that suffering from cancer is no small matter, but the Pope's prognosis seems to be good. "I just want to wish him well and a speedy recovery."