Lucrezia Ciotti Final post-surgery tests confirmed Pope Leo XIV had localized lung adenocarcinoma . Oncological evaluation ruled out the need for further treatment, and the Pontiff has already resumed his public duties at the Vatican.
Pope Leo's return to the Vatican and his public engagements after the operation
After several days in hospital, Pope Leo XIV was discharged on October 17 and returned to the Vatican, where he gradually resumed his activities . October 21 marked a further return to normality: the Pontiff crossed St. Peter's Square in the popemobile , protected from the rain by a transparent roof, before presiding over the general audience.
During the meeting with the faithful, he expressed his gratitude for the closeness he had received during the days of the operation: " The first thing I would like to say is thank you! Thank you for the support of your prayers. Thank you to God for his generosity ." He then invited those present to renew " our trust in the goodness and mercy of God ."
The medical bulletin, released at the end of a day marked by the resumption of public appointments, clarifies that no further cancer treatments are planned. The Pope's upcoming international travels, however, remain to be officially confirmed . Among his November appointments is a trip to South America, with stops in Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, the country where Robert Francis Prevost lived for nearly twenty years.
Pope Leo XIV, lung cancer and the latest tests: why he won't need further treatment
New information has arrived regarding the health of Pope Leo XIV following the surgery performed on October 13 at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. On the evening of October 21, Dr. Luigi Carbone, the Pontiff's personal physician, and Professor Stefano Margaritora, the surgeon who operated on him, released the results of the final tests . Histological tests and molecular biology tests conducted on the removed tissue confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma , specifying, however, that the disease was localized . A subsequent oncology consultation ruled out the need for the Pope to undergo further treatment: " A subsequent oncological evaluation confirmed that no further therapy is necessary ."
The news is reassuring following the operation, during which a malignant tumor was removed from the lung. The procedure had been announced by Leo XIV himself on October 11, during the Angelus in St. Peter's Square, when he spoke of the need to remove " a nodule confined to the lung ." The operation was completed without complications, and post-operative recovery continued smoothly.