Pope walking and recovering 'as expected' after surgery, doctors say
Pope Leo XIV is recovering well after undergoing surgery to remove a lower lobe of his lung due to adenocarcinoma. Medical staff report that he has resumed a normal diet and is participating in respiratory physiotherapy.
Why it matters
The health status of a world religious leader is a matter of significant global interest and potential geopolitical impact.
Figure caption, Watch: What we know about Pope Leo's lung cancer diagnosis
Pope Leo XIV's recovery from surgery to remove a lower lobe of his lung is "progressing as expected", his doctors have said.
The 71-year-old pontiff has started to walk and has "resumed a normal diet" following the roughly 90-minute procedure, the medics said in an update shared by the Vatican.
The Pope was diagnosed with lung cancer after the surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, which the Vatican said had been "successful" and proceeded without complications.
Blood tests and an X-ray early on Wednesday showed his recovery was "proceeding normally", the doctors said, and he has also undergone respiratory physiotherapy.
The whole lower lobe of the Pope's right lung was removed "to ensure the procedure was radical", the Vatican said following the surgery.
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