Pope Leo XIV Walking and Eating After Lung Cancer Surgery as Doctors Await Further Tests

Pope Leo XIV is walking, eating normally and undergoing respiratory physiotherapy after surgery to remove part of his right lung, his doctors said, as the first American pope recovers from an early-stage lung cancer diagnosis that has unsettled Catholics around the world.

The Chicago-born pontiff, 71, underwent a roughly 90-minute operation at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon. The Vatican said the procedure was successful and proceeded without complications.

Entire lower lobe removed

Surgeons removed the whole lower lobe of the pope’s right lung “to ensure the procedure was radical,” the Vatican said. Analysis of the tissue confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, “as suspected by pre-operative tests.” Blood tests and a chest X-ray on Wednesday showed his recovery was “proceeding normally,” according to the medical team, and he is expected to remain in the hospital for about a week.

Leo disclosed his condition himself during Sunday prayers in St. Peter’s Square, telling the crowd that doctors had found a “well-contained” nodule on his lung “at an early stage” and had advised him to have it removed. The Vatican stressed that he had shown no symptoms of infection or illness beforehand.

Further tests ahead

Additional tests are needed to determine whether the cancer has spread and whether further treatment will be required, according to reporting from the Vatican and the Associated Press. A Vatican source told AFP that such tests had been carried out.

Adenocarcinoma, which develops in mucus-producing cells, is one of the most common forms of lung cancer. Long-term outlook depends heavily on the stage at diagnosis and a patient’s overall health; tumors found early—sometimes during routine scans before symptoms appear—are often highly treatable, and surgical removal is a standard approach for localized disease.

The diagnosis has revived memories of the health struggles of Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, who had part of a lung removed as a young man and later endured a series of respiratory infections before his death last year. Leo, a former missionary in Peru and head of the Augustinian order, was elected in May 2025 and is generally regarded as fit.