The routine tests performed on Pope Leo XIV confirmed “normal results” and a “good recovery” of the operated lung. The Vatican reported on Thursday that the pontiff performed his daily activities independently and held the physiotherapy session at the hospital in Rome.
© Shutterstock
15/10/2026
by
Oroutine tests performed on Pope Leo XIV, days after undergoing surgery to remove a malignant tumor in the lung, showed “normal results” and “thoracic radiography revealed a good recovery”.
“ This morning, the Holy Father was submitted to routine examinations, the results of which were normal. Chest X-ray revealed a good recovery of the lung that underwent surgery”, the Vatican revealed in a statement this Thursday.
According to the note, “the Pope performed his daily activities autonomously” and did a “complete series of physical exercises” during the physical therapy session.
“In general, post-operative recovery is taking place normally,” he concluded.
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 continue a full range of physiotherapy, as his posting recovery normally.
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) October 15, 2026
This morning, the Vatican had already informed that the pontiff had spent “well” the night at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he was operated on Tuesday.
“The Pope spent the night in the hospital, got up and had breakfast,” the Vatican said on Thursday.
The pontiff was submitted to surgery on Tuesday after a nodule was detected in the lung. According to the medical report released after surgery, which lasted 90 minutes, the tests confirmed a pulmonary adenocarcinoma, whose suspicion had arisen during preoperative examinations.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that “the Holy Father performed the blood and chest X-ray tests scheduled for after surgery”, and the “results confirm a normal postoperative evolution: the parameters are within the normal range for the type of procedure performed”.
According to the same medical report, the Pope had already gotten out of bed, eaten and performed breathing exercises.
“The Holy Father performed respiratory physiotherapy and began to walk through the room. He returned to regular diet, having taken both breakfast and lunch. His recovery is going according to what was expected,” the Vatican needed.
Surgery, which is normally performed under general anesthesia, will require a one-week hospitalization. On Monday, the Vatican canceled all audiences of the Pope until the next 20 October, two weeks after the surgery.
Leo XIV became the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics around the world – and the first American Pope in history – on May 8, 2025, after the death, at the age of 88, of the Argentine Pope Francis.
Although less exuberant than the predecessor, Leo XIV gradually imprinted his own style on the leadership of the Catholic Church, addressing some of the most pressing issues worldwide from deadly conflicts to Artificial Intelligence.