Pope Leo needs no further lung cancer treatment after Vatican doctors confirm his tumour had not spread
Pope Leo XIV addresses the faithful at his first general audience since surgery, having delivered greetings in seven languages rather than his usual nine.
Test results show the 71-year-old pontiff's lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, was localised, so no follow-up therapy is required. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung on October 13. Pope Leo XIV, elected only in May 2025, is the youngest pope in decades. Doubts still hang over his planned trip to South America next month, including a visit to Uruguay.
Leo toured St Peter's Square in his open-air popemobile just eight days after surgery.
'Thank you for the support and prayers,' he told crowds, without mentioning his health.
He cut his greetings from nine languages to seven, the only change to his routine.
