The Holy See Press Office released this afternoon, October 15, a new medical bulletin concerning the Pontiff. It is signed by Luigi Carbone, the Pope’s personal physician, and Stefano Margaritora, head of Thoracic Surgery at Gemelli Hospital. According to the text, the Holy Father underwent routine checks in the morning, “whose results have been normal.”
What the medical bulletin states
The physicians note that “the chest X-ray has shown a good recovery of the operated lung” and that the Pope “has carried out his daily activities independently.” The day’s physiotherapy session included “complete motor exercises.” The overall assessment is that the postoperative course “is progressing normally.”
The most significant institutional detail is the resumption of work. In the afternoon, Leo XIV received Msgr. Paolo Rudelli, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. He is the official in charge of the ordinary handling of Curia business.
Wednesday’s bulletin had already reported blood tests and an X-ray with values within normal parameters for the type of surgery performed. That same day, the Vatican spokesperson indicated that the Pontiff concelebrated Mass with other priests in a room set up on the floor where he is hospitalized.
An intervention announced by the Pope himself
Leo XIV, 71, underwent surgery on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 13. The thoracic surgery team was led by Professor Margaritora. The surgeons removed the lower lobe of the right lung using a video-assisted technique to ensure a radical resection. The histological examination performed during the operation confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as preoperative tests had suggested. The Pope remained in the operating room for about three hours, of which the actual surgery took around ninety minutes.
It was the Pontiff himself who informed the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square of the lesion, which had been detected at an early stage. Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, Archbishop of Tokyo, who met with him on Monday, explained that the Pope chose to undergo surgery as soon as possible so as not to disrupt his upcoming travels and that it was not an emergency.
Audiences suspended and a trip to South America on the horizon
The Vatican has canceled all papal audiences until October 20. According to the Holy See, recovery will require about a week of hospitalization.
The immediate schedule is marked by the apostolic journey to South America. Asked about possible changes to the trip, scheduled for November 6–17, spokesperson Matteo Bruni referred to the words spoken by the Pope on Sunday. No modification of the program has been announced so far; it includes Argentina, Peru, and Uruguay.
The medical team has also not specified whether the Pope will require any specific treatment after the tumor removal.