Pope Leo resumes some papal duties as he recovers from lung surgery, Vatican says

Pope Leo XIV has resumed some papal duties, the Vatican said Thursday, after he had a piece of his right lung removed and received a diagnosis of lung cancer earlier this week. 

A spokesperson for the Vatican said the pope celebrated Mass around noon and began “a little bit of work activity,” including reading documents. The pontiff also met with Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, undersecretary of state, on Thursday, the Vatican said. 

Leo is set to be released from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Oct. 20, one week after he was first admitted. 

The Vatican spokesperson said Leo would like to lead the Angelus prayer from the hospital on Sunday, but it’s not clear yet whether that will happen. 

Leo also underwent routine checkups, including a chest X-ray, on Thursday, according to personal physician Dr. Luigi Carbone and thoracic surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora. Margaritora led the operation on the pontiff. The X-ray showed “good recovery of the operated lung,” the two said in a statement, and the pope’s “post-operative recovery is progressing as expected.” 

The pope has also had at least one physiotherapy session, Carbone and Margaritora said. 

Candida Moss, the Edward Cadbury professor of theology at the University of Birmingham in England, told CBS News on Wednesday that it’s typical for popes to stick to their schedules even amid health issues. Vatican protocols call for the pope’s cardinals and aide to take over as many duties as possible, Moss said. 

“We have a long tradition of popes — not just Pope Francis, but also Pope John Paul II, who had Parkinson’s for 10 years — who continued to remain as active as they could, and as active in Catholic liturgies as they could, right up until the end of their tenures,” Moss said. 

The Vatican announced Leo had been diagnosed with lung cancer on Tuesday following his surgery.

Preoperative tests had indicated the potential presence of the cancer, the Vatican said earlier this week. During the 90-minute operation, a lobe of the pontiff’s right lung that had a nodular lesion was removed, the Vatican said. 

The Vatican has not shared any other details about Leo’s cancer, such as its stage or genetic makeup.

Leo is expected to travel to South America next month. The Vatican pointed to comments the pontiff made Sunday, when he said he is looking forward to going. 

The pope’s audiences are canceled through Oct. 20.