Pope Leo XIV is recovering at Rome's Gemelli hospital after surgeons removed a cancerous tumor from his right lung, and the Vatican says his post-operative course so far is proceeding as expected. In a medical bulletin released Wednesday morning, the Holy See press office said blood tests and a chest X-ray carried out after the operation showed values within normal limits for the type of surgery performed.
According to the statement, the pope has begun respiratory physiotherapy and has started walking around his room. He has also returned to his usual meals, taking breakfast and lunch. "The recovery is progressing according to plan," the Vatican said, as reported by Clarin.com.
The 71-year-old pontiff spent a quiet night at the hospital following the procedure, the Vatican said Wednesday, without offering further detail. Clarin.com reports that doctors are running additional tests to determine whether the cancer may have spread.
Why it matters
Leo XIV was elected less than 18 months ago and, at 69 at the time, was considered young by recent papal standards. His energy and apparently robust health led many observers to expect a long pontificate. The lung cancer diagnosis, confirmed Tuesday, has abruptly raised the same questions about longevity and continuity that surrounded Pope Francis, according to Clarin.com.
The timing also matters for the wider church. Leo had to cancel his presence at a Vatican meeting marking the 10th anniversary of Francis's apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia. His message to that gathering was read aloud by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who also celebrated a Mass attended by cardinals. "Without strong families, the world has no future," the message said, Clarin.com reports.
What the medical bulletins say
The Vatican's press office described the post-operative picture in measured terms: laboratory values in the normal range, imaging consistent with the expected course, and a patient already mobile and eating. Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that the pope was scheduled for his first post-operative studies on Wednesday to assess how he is faring after the carcinoma operation.
Vatican sources told the newspaper that, for now, doctors have not indicated a need to move ahead with chemotherapy, and that the cancerous tissue was removed completely, Clarin.com reports. That remains a preliminary assessment; further tests are meant to establish whether the disease has spread.
Access to the pope's floor at the Gemelli is tightly restricted. The tenth-floor wing reserved for the pontiff is closed off, and few at the hospital are willing to share even minor details about his stay. Three bouquets of white flowers arrived late in the morning, carried in by gendarmerie officers. "We want to make sure he rests as well as possible," staff at the facility said, according to ANSA via Clarin.com.
A brother also in treatment
News of the pope's illness has been accompanied by word of a second cancer case in his family. Louis Prevost, the pope's older brother, is being treated for multiple myeloma, a cancer that attacks bone marrow, at a hospital in Florida. Louis Prevost's wife, Deborah Prevost, confirmed the illness to CBS News on Tuesday, Clarin.com reports.
Prayers from Venezuela
Political figures in Venezuela have publicly offered prayers for the pope's recovery. Opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado wrote on X that Venezuelans were offering their prayers for the swift healing of His Holiness, asking that the affection and faith of believers around the world sustain him during this time and in his pastoral work. Machado was received by Leo XIV in Rome in 2025.
Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, had already posted a message of her own. Writing on official channels while in Rome for the FAO World Food Forum, she said Venezuela lifts its prayers for the pope's prompt and full recovery, Clarin.com reports.
Governance during a hospital stay
The BBC examined who is overseeing the Vatican and how the Catholic Church functions while Leo recovers from lung surgery. The question of day-to-day administration during a papal hospitalization is a recurring one, and it has drawn fresh attention given the nature of the diagnosis and the uncertainty about how long the recovery and any further treatment may take.
In Argentina, where the pope's health is followed closely, a cardinal from Cordoba spoke about the mood among the faithful. "We maintain hope and desire," he said, according to Diario El Dia de La Plata, as carried in the Clarin.com live coverage. The remark reflects a broader pattern in the coverage: public statements that combine concern with an expectation of recovery, issued while the Vatican releases only limited clinical information.
What to watch
The next signals will come from the Vatican's medical bulletins and from the post-operative tests now under way. Their results will shape whether doctors proceed with any additional treatment and how quickly the pope can resume his duties.
