What is known about the health of Pope Leo XIV

According to information from the EFE agency and the official Vatican News website, he remains hospitalized at the Gemelli hospital in Rome, and earlier on Tuesday the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said that the Holy Father’s “serenity” at this moment is leaving everyone “impressed”.

“We hope that the problem can be resolved as quickly as possible. We are confident,” said Parolin. “Naturally, we all accompany him with our prayers and our affection.”

Check below what is known about Leo XIV’s health status:

Diagnosis and surgery

In the medical bulletin released shortly after the operation, the Holy See explained that “an intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected in the preoperative examinations”, with the detection of a “pulmonary nodule restricted to a limited area”.

“In order for the intervention to be radical, the lower lobe of the right lung was excised using a video-assisted technique,” ​​added the Holy See, which said that “the procedure was a success, without complications.”

Luigi Carbone, the doctor responsible for the pope’s health, and Stefano Margaritora, head of thoracic surgery at the Gemelli hospital, performed the operation together with the medical team.

Leo XIV remained in the operating room for approximately three hours, and the operation itself lasted around 90 minutes.

How is the recovery going?

The pope woke up normally after surgery and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the 10th floor of the hospital, according to information from the Holy See published by Vatican News.

After the surgery, Leo XIV ordered dinner and spent the evening in the company of his secretaries and other members of the Vatican staff. The Holy See reported that he spent a peaceful night in hospital.

Leo XIV will remain hospitalized at Gemelli to continue his recovery and undergo post-operative examinations. This Wednesday, the Holy See reported a normal postoperative evolution, after blood tests and chest x-rays carried out in the morning, and the pope has already started respiratory physiotherapy.

The medical team has not yet detailed whether the pope will need further specific treatment, given the nature of the excised tumor.

For now, there has been no change in relation to the one-week hospitalization period that was previously announced.

Repercussion

World leaders wished Leo XIV a speedy recovery. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed on social media that his thoughts and prayers are with the Holy Father and “the Catholic community around the world”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is Catholic, said he and his wife are praying for the pope. “May the Lord give him strength and may the Holy Spirit guide the health professionals who care for the Holy Father”, said the head of diplomacy for the Donald Trump government.

Other world leaders had spoken out before the surgery, such as the Argentine president, Javier Milei, who made a post on X about the subject on Sunday (11).

“All of Argentina accompanies His Holiness with affection and prayer, wishing him a speedy and complete recovery,” wrote Milei.