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Pope Leo XIV's doctors say chest X-ray shows 'good recovery' of lung

A nun holds a picture of Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, 14 October, 2026
A nun holds a picture of Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, 14 October, 2026 -  Copyright  AP Photo
Copyright AP Photo
By Sertac Aktan & Gavin Blackburn
Published on •Updated
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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.

Pope Leo XIV's doctors said on Thursday a chest X-ray showed "good recovery of the operated lung", two days after the pontiff underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour.

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"This morning, the Holy Father underwent routine check-ups, which yielded normal results," said his doctors, Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora, adding in the note published by the Vatican that Leo's recovery was "progressing as expected."

The statement from the medical team comes after the Vatican said earlier that the pontiff had a "good night" in hospital and has eaten breakfast as he recovers from lung cancer surgery.

"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 20 October have been cancelled.

Additional sources • AFP

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