News24 | Pope Leo to resume Vatican audiences after cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV waves from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's square during the Angelus prayer a day after his return to The Vatican following his surgery.

Tiziana Fabi/AFP

• Pope Leo is set to resume his general audiences with pilgrims at the Vatican on 20 October, marking his first since having surgery for lung cancer, according to the Vatican.
• Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
• The pope is due to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November, in one of ⁠the most intense trips arranged for a Catholic leader in decades, but it remains unclear if that trip will go forward.

Pope Leo will hold a general audience with pilgrims at the Vatican on 20 October, ‌for the first time since undergoing surgery ⁠for lung cancer, the Vatican said.

The 71-year-old pontiff had ⁠an operation on 13 October to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, fuelling speculation about how his illness might change his 17-month papacy.

Leo pledged on Sunday, ‌in his first public event since the surgery, that he would slowly resume his usual activities as the leader of the world's 1.4 billion ‌Catholics.

The pope hosts a general audience with pilgrims on most Wednesdays of the year. It is held in St. Peter’s Square when the weather is good, and the pope often tours the crowds, usually in the tens of thousands, in an open-top popemobile.

Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. The diagnosis of the youngest pope in decades, elected only in May 2025, came as a shock.

The pope's doctors have said his surgery was completed successfully, without complications. They have not yet disclosed the size of the tumour or whether the disease had spread to nearby lymph nodes, ⁠key factors in determining prognosis.

The Vatican has provided no indication of Leo's schedule beyond Wednesday.

The pope is due to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 November to 17, in one of the most intense trips arranged for a Catholic leader in decades, but it remains unclear whether the trip will go ahead. Leo’s lead surgeon has said the pope could be fully recovered in time for the trip, but the Vatican’s secretary of state has indicated the pope may need to adjust the pace of his schedule to aid his recovery.