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Pope Leo XIV is up and moving after having part of his lung removed.
After undergoing chest surgery Tuesday, in which surgeons removed the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung, tissue examination confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, or lung cancer, according to the Vatican.
The pope, 71, spent four days recovering at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy, after a successful procedure.
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On Friday, the Vatican released the first photos of Pope Leo after the operation.
The pope is shown standing in front of an altar, dressed in green vestments, celebrating mass in a makeshift chapel at the hospital where he distributed communion.
The Pope celebrates mass for several medical staff on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital, October 16, 2026, in Rome, Italy. (Vatican Media/Abaca/Sipa USA via AP Images)
According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, several members of Gemelli’s medical and nursing staff as well as members of the Vatican City State Gendarmerie Corps attended the service.
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“In his homily, the Pope thanked all the staff – doctors, nurses and caregivers – for the work they do every day caring for fragile patients and especially for what they have done and continue to do for him,” the statement said.
The Vatican also confirmed Friday that the pope’s recovery was continuing with “a constant improvement in his general condition.”
On his fourth day in hospital, Pope Leo XIV’s doctors said new blood tests and a chest X-ray confirmed “the steady improvement in his general condition.” The Pope, pictured, celebrates mass for several members of the medical staff at Gemelli Hospital on October 16 in Rome. (Vatican Media/Abaca/Sipa USA via AP Images)
Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora added that Pope’s “postoperative recovery allows him to carry out his normal daily activities with complete autonomy.”
Pope Leo plans to make his first public appearance since the proceedings Sunday during the midday Angelus, which he usually leads.
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Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said Pope’s procedure included a small incision with TVA (video-assisted thoracoscopy), which involves less pain and allows for a faster recovery.
Pope is in good health “to begin with” and is very active, which plays a “major role in recovery,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
Pope Leo XIV arrives to hold the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on February 18, 2026. (Remo Casilli/Reuters)
“As he was not a smoker and likely had very good underlying lung function, the loss of one lobe, when there are three in total on the right, should not have a major impact on daily activity, especially with controlled pain,” the doctor added.
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In a separate interview on Fox News Digital, Lary Robinson, an oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, expressed surprise about the Pope’s health.
About 80 percent of lung cancers occur in people who smoke or have smoked, said Robinson, who has not treated Pope. However, he noted that lung cancer also occurs in non-smokers, including about 10% of male patients and 25% of female patients.
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“But (the pope) had surgery and had a lobectomy, so that’s usually only done with people who have localized disease, and presumably he had localized disease. And I hope it’s stage 1 cancer,” the doctor added.
Pope Leo XIV blesses a child at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, March 4, 2026. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)
If Pope’s cancer is stage 1, there is a “high chance” of cure – about 90% – depending on the size of the tumor, the oncologist said. The fact that he went straight to surgery suggests that there was probably no evidence that the cancer had spread.
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“We’ll have to wait for pathology to determine … if he needs further treatment down the road,” Robinson said.
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The pope’s planned trip to South America in November would still go ahead as planned, although his participation remains in question depending on the recovery.
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