Photo: ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP / Getty Images
Pope Leo XIV is making a strong recovery after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous lung nodule, according to medical updates released Wednesday (October 14). The 71-year-old pontiff is walking and eating regularly following the procedure that took place Tuesday (October 13) at Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome.
Pope Leo's doctors reported that his blood tests and chest X-ray came back normal, indicating a smooth recovery process one day after the operation. The Vatican has not released information about the size of the tumor or whether it had spread.
The American pope publicly announced the discovery of the nodule during his Sunday (October 11) noon prayer in St. Peter's Square, an unprecedented level of transparency for papal health matters. "The doctors believe surgery is appropriate," he told the crowd, explaining that doctors had found "a localized nodule in my lung" at "a very early stage" and that it remained "well localized."
Holy See Press Office spokesperson Matteo Bruni confirmed that the Pope's "estimated post-operative recovery time will be about one week." The surgery was performed at Gemelli Hospital, which established a special papal suite after the May 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.
A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than three centimeters in diameter that sometimes appears on a CT scan of the chest or abdomen. The nodule can be benign or malignant, and surgical removal is often recommended to determine whether it is cancerous since performing a lung biopsy by needle can be difficult.
On the eve of his hospital admission, it was business as usual at the Vatican Monday (October 12). The pontiff presided over an audience with members of a Rome-based charity, the Circolo San Pietro, and spoke in a strong, clear voice, according to observers. He had six other private audiences and made three appointments that day.
The Vatican canceled all of Leo's audiences through Monday (October 20) to allow for recovery. The surgery interrupted a weeklong conference he had convened on ministering to families, which included discussions about implementing one of Pope Francis' most important documents on helping the church better minister to families facing contemporary challenges.
"Of course, it comes as a surprise to all of us that the Holy Father needs to be hospitalized for a few days for an intervention," said Quebec Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix. "But it will not change what we're doing."
The surgery marks the first major health event of Leo's 17-month pontificate. His decision to personally announce the news represented a significant departure from centuries of Vatican tradition of zealously guarding papal health information.
Despite the recovery period, President Leo remains scheduled to travel to South America next month, according to Vatican sources. The Vatican has not announced any changes to that planned trip.