Pope Leo’s recovery from lung cancer surgery ‘progressing as planned’
Quick Look
Pope Leo, 71, is recovering as expected after adenocarcinoma removal from his right lung at Rome's Gemelli hospital, with normal eating, walking, and test results; global leaders including King Charles, Mark Carney, Marco Rubio, and Ursula von der Leyen have sent well wishes while further tests determine if cancer has spread.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Pope Leo, elected in May 2025 as the first US-born leader of the Roman Catholic Church, announced a lung cancer diagnosis during his Angelus prayer on Sunday prior to surgery, describing it as well-contained and detected early.
Pope Leo’s recovery from a lung cancer operation is progressing as planned, his doctors have said, as the pontiff received good wishes from around the world, including a letter from Britain’s King Charles.
Leo, who had a cancerous mass removed from his right lung late on Tuesday, began walking in his hospital room after respiratory therapy on Wednesday. He was eating normally, his doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritoria said in a statement issued by the Vatican.
A blood test and chest x-ray showed “normal post-operative progress” and the values were “within the expected range for the type of procedure performed”, they said.
The operation at Rome’s Gemelli hospital confirmed that Leo, 71, has the most common kind of lung cancer – adenocarcinoma. The Vatican has not yet disclosed the results of further tests to determine whether the cancer has spread and if more treatment will be needed.
The cancer diagnosis for Leo, who was elected the first US-born leader of the Roman Catholic church in May 2025, has come as a shock.
In a rare moment of Vatican transparency, the pope announced during his angelus prayer on Sunday that doctors had found a small nodule on his lung during a checkup, and that it was “well-contained” and detected early.
Messages have been sent from around the world. King Charles, who is also being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, would write to Leo privately, a source told Agence France-Presse. Charles and Queen Camilla met the pope when they travelled to the Vatican in October last year.
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, wished Leo a full and swift recovery in a message posted on X, and said the pontiff was “a source of hope and inspiration for billions around the world”.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said he and his wife, Jeanette, were praying for Leo. The couple met the pontiff at the Vatican in May. There has been no reaction yet from Donald Trump, who clashed with Leo earlier this year over the US-Israeli war in Iran, or from the US vice-president, JD Vance, a Catholic.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote on X that Leo’s serenity and strength were an inspiration for all. “We hope for his full and speedy recovery,” she wrote
Before the operation, all of Leo’s appointments until 20 October had been cancelled. He went on a papal trip to France in September and is scheduled to go to South America in November for a 12-day trip covering 10 cities.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Further test results will be released within the next one to two weeks to determine if cancer has spread.
Likely · Within weeks
Pope Leo will resume limited public duties by early October, assuming continued recovery progress.
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Has the cancer spread beyond the lung?
- Will additional treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation be required?
- What is the expected timeline for full recovery and return to duties?
- Will the Pope's upcoming trips to France (completed) and South America (scheduled for November) proceed as planned?
