The Vatican on Friday released the first image of Pope Leo XIV since his lung surgery, showing the pontiff attending Mass at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital as doctors reported steady progress in his recovery.
Pope Leo XIV, 71, the first US-born pontiff, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after doctors detected a mass. The video-assisted procedure lasted approximately 90 minutes. In a separate health update, the Holy See Press Office announced that new blood tests and a chest X-ray confirmed a steady improvement in Pope Leo XIV’s overall condition. An analysis of tissue collected during the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer.
“In his homily, the Pope thanked all the staff—doctors, nurses, and orderlies—for the work they do every day caring for patients in their frailty, and especially for what they have done and continue to do for him,” Vatican News quoted the press office as saying. “On his fourth day in hospital, Pope Leo XIV’s doctors say new blood tests and a chest X-ray confirm ‘the steady improvement in his overall condition’,” the statement read. The Vatican said the surgery was completed without complications and that the Pope regained consciousness normally.
During his homily, the Pope thanked the hospital staff for their care and dedication. Pope Leo celebrated Mass in a room prepared on the hospital’s 10th floor, where he is recovering from surgery performed on Tuesday, according to the Holy See Press Office.
Born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo XIV was elected head of the Catholic Church in May 2025.
His public engagements have been suspended during his hospitalisation, with the Vatican previously indicating that he was expected to remain in hospital for about a week.