Pope Leo XIV celebrated a Holy Mass this Friday, October 16, on the tenth floor of the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome, where he remains hospitalized following his lung cancer surgery.
The celebration was attended by doctors, nurses, and members of the Vatican Gendarmerie. During the homily, the Holy Father thanked the healthcare staff for their daily dedication to the sick and, in a special way, for the care he is receiving during his hospitalization.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed that the latest blood tests and chest X-ray show a steady improvement in his overall condition. The Pontiff continues respiratory physiotherapy and can already carry out his daily activities with full autonomy.
The Pope is expected to make his first public appearance since his admission next Sunday, on the occasion of the Angelus prayer.
Favorable progress
Pope Leo XIV, 71 years old (Robert Francis Prevost, the first American pontiff, elected on May 8, 2025, after the death of Francis), was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday, October 13, for surgery. Doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung using a video-assisted technique.
The intraoperative analysis confirmed a diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. The operation, which lasted about 90 minutes, proceeded without complications.
Gemelli is known as the "popes' hospital." It has a reserved area on the tenth floor (historically used by John Paul II and Francis) and has treated several pontiffs in recent decades.
The Holy See, for the moment, maintains the expectation of a hospitalization of approximately one week and has not modified the plans for the trip to Latin America (Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru) scheduled for November.