Pope Leo resumes work as he recovers from lung surgery

Pope Leo XIV resumed some of his duties from a Rome hospital Thursday, meeting a senior Vatican aide and reading documents as he recovered from surgery that removed part of his right lung. Doctors said a chest X-ray showed the operated lung was healing well.

The pope celebrated Mass around noon and began “a little bit of work activity,” the Vatican said. He also met Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, whom Al Jazeera described as the Vatican’s chief of staff and an aide who handles much of the Holy See’s day-to-day administrative work. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Leo celebrated Mass with other priests in a chapel set up near his room at Gemelli hospital, the second consecutive day he had done so.

Leo underwent a 90-minute operation Tuesday to remove a lobe of his right lung containing a nodule. The Vatican subsequently announced that he had lung cancer; preoperative tests had indicated the possibility of cancer. Al Jazeera reported that the surgery confirmed adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. Doctors are awaiting tests to determine the cancer’s precise molecular makeup, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether further treatment is needed, according to Al Jazeera. The Vatican has not disclosed a cancer stage.

Leo’s personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and thoracic surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora, who led the operation, said Thursday’s routine checks included a chest X-ray. “The chest X-ray revealed good recovery of the operated lung,” they said. “Overall, his post-operative recovery is proceeding as expected.” Al Jazeera reported that the doctors said his post-operative test results remained within normal levels, he was carrying out daily activities independently and a physiotherapy session Thursday included full mobility exercises.

The Vatican expects Leo to leave Gemelli on Oct. 20, a week after his admission, according to CBS News. His audiences have been canceled through that date. A Vatican spokesperson said the pope would like to lead Sunday’s Angelus prayer from the hospital, though no decision had been made.

His planned visit to South America next month remains uncertain. Asked whether the Nov. 6-17 trip would change, Bruni referred to Leo’s remarks Sunday expressing his intention to visit Peru. “Thank you for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru,” Leo told a Peruvian group in Spanish. The itinerary also includes Uruguay and Argentina, Al Jazeera reported.

Candida Moss, a theology professor at the University of Birmingham, told CBS News that popes have often remained active during health problems, while cardinals and aides take on as many duties as possible. She cited Pope John Paul II, who continued participating in Catholic liturgies during years of illness.