Pope Leo XIV was walking, eating, saying Mass and back at work on Thursday, two days after lung surgery. His doctors said on Thursday that his recovery is "progressing normally" and that a chest X-ray showed the operated lung healing well.
He's still in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, and he's expected to stay there until at least 20 October. But the news out of the 10th floor this week has been steady and good.
What the doctors said on Thursday
The update came on Thursday afternoon, Rome time, which was the early hours of Friday in Adelaide. It was signed by the Pope's personal physician, Dr Luigi Carbone, and Professor Stefano Margaritora, who heads thoracic surgery at Gemelli and led the operation.
"This morning, the Holy Father underwent routine checks, which yielded normal results," they said, in the translation Vatican News published. "The chest X-ray showed good recovery of the lung that underwent surgery."
They said he "carried out his daily activities independently" and that "his physiotherapy session included a full range of physical activities".
"Overall, his postoperative recovery is progressing normally," the doctors concluded.
The Associated Press translated the same bulletin a little differently. In AP's report, the X-ray "revealed good recovery of the operated lung" and his recovery "is proceeding as expected". The meaning is the same either way.
Back at his desk
The Pope didn't spend Thursday resting. The Holy See Press Office said he concelebrated Mass in the morning in a room specially set up for the purpose on the hospital's 10th floor, as he'd done on Wednesday afternoon.
In the afternoon he met Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. AP describes the Substitute as the Vatican's chief of staff, the official who handles much of the Holy See's day-to-day administration. The Press Office said Leo had resumed his work.
That's a quick turnaround. It's two days since surgeons took out part of his lung.
How the week has gone
It helps to see the whole week in order.
On Sunday 11 October, at the end of the Angelus in Saint Peter's Square, Leo told the crowd doctors had found a small nodule in his lung at a very early stage. He asked for prayer. "I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers," he said, as we reported at the time.
On Tuesday 13 October he walked into Gemelli and had the operation late that afternoon, Rome time. The Holy See Press Office said it was completed "successfully, within the expected timeframe and as planned", and we covered that news when it broke.
Later that evening the doctors gave more detail. "To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique," they said, according to Vatican News. Video-assisted surgery works through small incisions with a camera, instead of opening the chest wide.
They also confirmed what the tests beforehand had suggested. "An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations," the doctors said. AP notes adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer.
The Pope was in the operating room for about three hours, and the operation itself took about 90 minutes. There were no complications. He woke normally, went back to his room and, according to Press Office director Matteo Bruni, asked for dinner and spent the evening with his secretaries and other Vatican staff.
On Wednesday 14 October the Press Office said the night had "passed calmly". That afternoon came the first full medical update. "This morning, the Holy Father underwent the blood tests and chest X-ray scheduled after surgery," the doctors said. "The results confirm that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally: the values are within the expected range for the type of operation performed."
They said he'd had respiratory physiotherapy, had "begun walking around his room" and had "resumed eating normally and had breakfast and lunch", Vatican News reported. Bruni said he concelebrated Mass that afternoon.
The same day, across the city, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle read Leo's homily on the family to the bishops gathered in Saint Peter's Square. Our report on that homily has the full story. The Pope wrote it before he went into hospital.
Then on Thursday came the X-ray, the physiotherapy and the meeting with Rudelli.
Why physiotherapy matters
Physiotherapy straight after lung surgery is standard care, not a sign anything's wrong. Breathing exercises help the remaining lung tissue expand and clear, and getting up and moving early helps prevent complications. So when the doctors say his session on Thursday covered "a full range of physical activities", that's the sort of progress they want to see at this stage.
What we're still waiting for
There's one big question the bulletins haven't answered yet. The doctors said on Tuesday that "in the coming days, post-operation exams will be conducted on the removed tissue".
AP reported that doctors are still waiting on tests to understand the precise molecular makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe, and whether any further treatment is needed. Nobody at the Vatican has put a date on those results.
No change has been announced to the hospital stay. The Vatican said from the start it would be about a week, and AP reports he's expected to remain at Gemelli until at least 20 October. His audiences have been cancelled through that date.
The trip to South America
The next big date on Leo's calendar is a 12-day apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, from 6 to 17 November. It would be the longest international trip of his pontificate so far, Melbourne Catholic reported from OSV News.
Asked on Thursday whether that trip might change, Bruni didn't announce anything new. He pointed back to what Leo said on Sunday to a group of Peruvian pilgrims. "Thank you for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru," the Pope said.
A hospital that knows popes
Gemelli has looked after popes before. Saint John Paul II was treated there many times, and his statue stands outside the hospital. Pope Francis spent 38 days there in early 2025 with double pneumonia.
This stay looks very different so far. Outside, well-wishers have kept up their vigil. An AP photo on Thursday showed a banner hung from one of the hospital's windows that read "Ematology greets the pope".
Australia praying too
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference spoke for a lot of people here when the news first broke. Its president, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, said the announcement was "both a surprise and a matter of deep concern, not just for Catholics but for all those who see in him a powerful advocate for peace, compassion and stability in an increasingly volatile and fractured world".
"His assurance that the doctors are positive about the outcome of the operation is a source of hope for us," he said in a statement on 12 October.
He added that "the knowledge that not just Catholics but all people of faith and goodwill will be praying for Pope Leo will be a source of comfort for him".
Leo asked the Church to pray on Sunday, and it has. Five days on, he's moving about on his own, saying Mass each day and back at work. The next word from his doctors could come at any time, and we'll bring it to you when it does.
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