Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has returned to work from the hospital as he recovers from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, the Vatican announced Thursday.
The Vatican said Pope Leo met with Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where the pontiff is being treated. Rudelli oversees much of the Holy See's day-to-day administrative work.
An update from the pope's personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and Dr. Stefano Margaritora, head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli Hospital, said the pope's post-operative tests remained within normal ranges and that Thursday's physiotherapy session included full-body movement exercises.
According to the doctors, Pope Leo is performing his daily activities without assistance.
“The chest X-ray shows that the operated lung is healing well. Overall, the post-operative recovery is proceeding as expected,” they reported.
Spokesman Matteo Bruni said that for the second consecutive day, the pope celebrated Mass with other priests in a special chapel set up near his room on the hospital's 10th floor.
Pope Leo XIV, 71, had part of his right lung removed after a lengthy surgery on Tuesday, following doctors' discovery of a suspected tumor. Surgical results confirmed he has adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.
Doctors are still awaiting test results to understand the tumor's precise molecular characteristics, whether the cancer has spread beyond the lung lobe, and whether further treatment will be needed.
Before announcing he would undergo surgery, Pope Leo drew nearly one million people to a Mass in Paris during a four-day visit to France last month.
It remains unclear whether he will make a planned trip to South American countries next month. Asked whether there would be any changes to the pope's planned Nov. 6-17 trip, spokesman Bruni referred back to the pope's words on Sunday, when he announced the discovery of the tumor and the upcoming surgery.
“Thank you for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru,” Pope Leo said in Spanish on Sunday in a greeting to a group of Peruvians. The trip is also expected to include Uruguay and Argentina.
Pope Leo is expected to remain hospitalized at least until next Tuesday.
