Pope Leo will not need further treatment after lung surgery, doctors say

Pope Leo XIV will not need additional treatment after an operation for lung cancer, his doctors announced Wednesday.

The Vatican press office issued an update from the pontiff’s doctors, saying final reports and analyzes of tissue removed from his surgery were completed Wednesday.

“The results confirmed that it was a lung adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized,” said his doctors, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora.

“Subsequent oncological evaluation confirmed that no further treatment is necessary,” the statement said.

The 71-year-old underwent surgery earlier this month at Gemelli Hospital in Rome to remove a lung nodule discovered during recent routine medical examinations. Leo said the nodule was detected “at a very early stage”.

He was released on Saturday and returned to public duties on Sunday with a prayer from the window of the papal apartment in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“This experience allowed me to feel particularly close to all those who suffer from illness and frailty,” he said, thanking his supporters.

Leo said that “after going through this delicate phase, as you know, I will now gradually resume my activities, always with the help of God and your prayers.”

The pope’s diagnosis and surgery left his upcoming trip to South America up in the air. He is still scheduled to leave on November 6 for a 12-day trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

The journey will be demanding, covering 19,000 miles on several flights and two helicopter flights, including a stopover in Cuzco in the Peruvian Andes, at an altitude of 11,000 feet.

Peru is a special place for Pope Leo, where he served as bishop of Chiclayo and holds citizenship.

The pope’s surgeon, Margaritora, told Vatican News on Saturday that recovery from Leo surgery usually takes a few weeks.

“As far as a long trip involving a plane trip of about three weeks, I would say there is no clinical reason why it should not take place,” Margaritora said.