Pope Leo XIV Has a Good Second Night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital

VATICAN CITY, October 15, 2026: Pope Leo XIV had a good second night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and was able to get up and have breakfast on Thursday, the Holy See Press Office announced, as the Pope continues to recover following a lung operation performed on Tuesday.

“The Pope had a good night in the hospital, got up and had breakfast,” the Holy See Press Office said on Thursday morning, providing an update on his condition two days after the surgery, which was reported to have been completed without complications.

Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, during which doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The Holy See Press Office confirmed the procedure in a statement issued later that evening.

Tissue examined during the operation confirmed the diagnosis of “lung adenocarcinoma”, which had been suspected following tests conducted before the surgery.

The Pope spent approximately three hours in the operating room, while the operation itself lasted around 90 minutes. The procedure proceeded as planned, according to the Holy See Press Office.

No changes have been announced regarding the previously indicated hospitalisation period of one week.

Recovery progressing well, Pope concelebrated Mass

On the afternoon of October 14, the Holy See Press Office released a statement from Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, head of Thoracic Surgery at Gemelli Hospital, who performed the operation alongside the medical team. The statement provided details of the Pope’s postoperative recovery.

“This morning,” they stated, “the Holy Father underwent the blood tests and chest X-ray scheduled after surgery. The results confirm that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally: the values are within the expected range for the type of operation performed,” said the statement.

“The Holy Father has undergone respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking around his room. He has resumed eating normally and had breakfast and lunch,” they added. “His recovery is proceeding as expected.”

The medical update indicated that the Pope’s recovery was progressing normally, with his test results within the expected range following the procedure. He has also begun walking around his hospital room and resumed his regular food intake.

Later on Wednesday, Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, informed journalists that Pope Leo XIV had concelebrated Mass that afternoon in a room specially prepared for the purpose on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital.

The latest update offers further information on the Pope’s recovery following the operation, with the previously announced hospitalisation period of one week remaining unchanged.

Courtesy: Vatican News