Pope’s doctors say tests confirm continued improvement after cancer surgery
Leo XIV underwent surgery on his lung this week and was diagnosed with cancer.
The Pope’s recovery from lung surgery has progressed so well that the Vatican has stopped providing morning updates confirming he had woken up and had breakfast, as questions remain about what his cancer means for the the future of his pontificate.
The Pope’s doctors said early on Friday afternoon that tests confirm the ‘continued improvement’ in his condition after his cancer surgery.
The 71-year-old Leo presided over Mass, and distributed Communion, in a special chapel set up for him in the Gemelli hospital, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
“His post-operative recovery allows him to carry out his normal daily activities completely on his own,” said the medical update signed by Leo’s personal physician Dr Luigi Carbone and the head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli, Dr Stefano Margaritora.
Even as questions swirled about what his cancer means for the future of his young pontificate, there were signs on Friday that it was all systems go. The Vatican on Friday published the names of journalists accredited to fly on Leo’s plane with him during his November 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Leo’s ability to make the trip has been in question since his diagnosis, and the Vatican can change plans at any time. But the posting of the media list signalled that at least on an organisational level, the trip was going ahead.
In the near term, Vatican officials are examining possible scenarios for Leo XIV to recite the traditional Sunday noontime Angelus prayer.
Vatican media personnel were seen at the Gemelli hospital installing cables for a possible live broadcast, as has happened before when past popes have been treated in hospital.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said a recitation of the noontime prayer on Sunday from the hospital was a possibility, but would depend on how Leo’s post-operative recovery progresses.
Such appearances have often served as a welcome confirmation of the pope’s well-being for the 1.4-billion strong Catholic faithful and others.
Cardinal Parolin said he remained concerned about the pope, but indicated that was also a function of his surprise at learning that Leo needed surgery.
“We can’t make any type of predictions,” Cardinal Parolin said on Thursday, according to the LaPresse and ANSA news agencies.
“The question now is when he will return, under what circumstances he will return, and what the doctors say. And based on all these factors, the pope will then adjust his pontificate, if it needs to be adjusted.”
On his third day in hospital, Pope Leo XIV’s doctors say his chest X-ray in the morning shows “good recovery of the lung that underwent surgery.”
The Pope carried his daily activities independently and continues a full range of physiotherapy, as his postoperative recovery… pic.twitter.com/KMFmdZF6sN
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) October 15, 2026
Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.
On Thursday, the American pope resumed working from his hospital room and met with his chief of staff, while continuing with respiratory physiotherapy.
His doctors said tests showed his lung had recovered well from surgery, that other post-operative tests were in the norm and that overall his recovery was proceeding as expected.
Doctors are still awaiting the results of tests to understand the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether any further treatment is necessary.