Usagevpn.com – Pope Leo XIV recovering from lung cancer surgery spent a “calm” night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said on Wednesday. The 71-year-old pontiff underwent an operation on Tuesday to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. Vatican officials said the procedure was completed successfully, as planned and within the expected timeframe.
After the 90-minute surgery, the pope woke up normally and returned to his room on the hospital’s tenth floor. He is being treated in a ward beside the papal apartment where Pope Francis was hospitalised about a year and a half earlier. The Vatican has cancelled all papal audiences until 20 October while he rests and doctors monitor his recovery.
What doctors are waiting to learn
The immediate focus is on Pope Leo XIV recovering from the operation itself, but further medical decisions will depend on test results. Part of his lung was removed during surgery, and doctors are awaiting pathology findings to determine whether the cancer has spread beyond the area that was operated on.
The Vatican has not announced plans for chemotherapy or other therapies. It said doctors were not yet considering additional treatment while they wait for the remaining test results. Specialists noted that the next stage depends heavily on how advanced the cancer was and whether it had spread.
Vatican officials said the tumour was detected early and was localised. Those details are important when assessing a patient’s outlook, although the Vatican has not provided further clinical information or a longer-term prognosis. For now, the public updates have centred on the successful surgery and the pope’s condition in the first hours after the procedure.
The Vatican said the surgery was “successfully completed, as planned and within the expected timeframe.”
Will the pope still travel to South America?
Questions remain over whether Pope Leo XIV recovering from surgery will be able to keep his planned 6–17 November visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The trip would be the longest overseas journey of his papacy so far, covering more than 31,000 kilometres through 12 flights and two helicopter journeys.
The Vatican expects the pope’s initial recovery to take around a week, but it has not confirmed whether that timetable is sufficient for the journey to go ahead. Oncologists generally advise patients to avoid flying for three weeks after surgery, meaning the planned departure would leave limited time for recovery before the first leg of the trip.
Tokyo Cardinal Kikuchi Tsutomu, who saw the pope on Monday, said the decision to have surgery promptly was intended to avoid disrupting future overseas travel. “He has decided to undergo surgery soon in order to not change his plans for future overseas trips, so there is no need to worry, as it is not an emergency,” he said.
A first hospitalisation as pope
The operation is Pope Leo XIV’s first hospitalisation since he became pope on 8 May 2025. The US-born pontiff’s health has therefore become an immediate concern for Catholics around the world and for Vatican officials preparing his public schedule.
The Vatican has historically been guarded about the health of popes. That approach became more open during the papacy of Pope Francis, who spoke publicly about his own medical problems. In this case, the Vatican has disclosed the surgery, its immediate outcome and the cancellation of audiences, while saying that decisions on any further treatment must wait for additional tests.
FAQ: Pope Leo XIV’s recovery
Where is Pope Leo XIV being treated?
He is recovering at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, on the tenth floor in a ward next to the papal apartment used during Pope Francis’s hospitalisation.
What surgery did he have?
He had a 90-minute operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. Part of the lung was removed during the procedure.
Has the Vatican confirmed further cancer treatment?
No. The Vatican said doctors are waiting for test results before considering chemotherapy or other therapies.
Are his public appointments affected?
Yes. All papal audiences have been cancelled until 20 October as Pope Leo XIV recovering from surgery takes time to rest.
Is the November South America trip confirmed?
It remains unclear whether the pope will be able to travel. The Vatican has not announced a final decision on the planned visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
