Pope has ‘peaceable’ night time in hospital following surgical procedure, Vatican says

Pope Leo XIV had a “peaceable” night time within the hospital following his surgical procedure on Tuesday, the Vatican’s press workplace stated early Wednesday.

“The Pope had a peaceable night time,” the workplace stated. “Extra data will observe later at this time.”

The pontiff was identified with lung most cancers and underwent surgical procedure to have the decrease lobe of his proper lung eliminated, the Vatican stated on Tuesday.

In a launch from the Holy See Press Workplace, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Prof. Stefano Margaritora defined that the pontiff underwent a minimally invasive camera-guided surgical process.

Pope Leo XIV waves from the window of the car as he leaves the Vatican before being admitted to Rome's Gemelli University Hospital for an operation to remove a lump from his lung, in the Vatican on 13 October 2026. — Pope Leo XIV waves as he leaves the Vatican earlier than being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli College Hospital for an operation to take away a lump from his lung on 13 October 2026.

Photograph by Tiziana FABI / AFP by way of Getty Pictures

“The intraoperative histological examination confirmed the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the preoperative assessments,” the press launch learn.

Leo was within the working room for about three hours, which included about 90 minutes for the “successfull” surgical procedure, the Vatican stated.

He is recovering at Gemelli Hospital, the biggest hospital in Rome and the first medical facility utilized by popes, together with Leo’s quick predecessor, Pope Francis, who died in 2025 on the age of 88.

Leo, a Chicago native and the primary American pope, who was beforehand Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected the church’s 267th pontiff in Could 2025.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, of Chicago, stated in a press release that the pope’s prognosis was “not the information we hoped for,” however added that he and his archdiocese had been “heartened by the ability and optimism of his physicians and the numerous prayers supplied all over the world for his full restoration.”

“I ask that the individuals of excellent will all over the place, however significantly right here, in Pope Leo’s hometown be part of me in asking the Lord to return this son of Chicago to wellness,” Cupich stated. “He has rather more good work to do, many extra clever phrases to evangelise and lots of extra methods to encourage others.”