71-year-old Catholic leader awaiting results of lung biopsy after surgery
PUBLISHED : 15 Oct 2026 at 15:45
ROME – Pope Leo XIV had a “good night” in hospital and has eaten breakfast as he recovers from lung cancer surgery, the Vatican said Thursday.
“The pope had a good night in the hospital. He got up and had breakfast,” the Vatican said in a short statement on Telegram.
The 71-year-old leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics announced on Sunday that he would undergo an operation to remove a nodule from his lung.
After the procedure at Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Tuesday, the Vatican revealed that the growth was cancerous and that surgeons had removed part of his right lung.
On Wednesday, his doctors were quoted by the Vatican as saying that the pope’s recovery was “proceeding as expected”.
A Vatican source said that the pope on Wednesday had even celebrated mass in a specially prepared room on the 10th floor of the hospital.
The pope is now awaiting the results of a biopsy to determine if the cancer has spread.
Before the surgery, the Vatican had said the pope’s recovery was expected to take a week. His audiences up until October 20 have been cancelled.
US President Donald Trump, who has been highly critical of Leo for his anti-war views, was the latest leader to wish him well.
“It’s big stuff anytime you have cancer, but the prognosis seems to be good,” Trump said on Wednesday after addressing a campaign rally in Arizona.
“I just want to wish him well. Get better fast,” the president added.
