Despite His Health, Pope Leo XIV Keeps Working for Peace

Pope Leo XIV is recovering from lung surgery in Rome and has nonetheless not stopped working for peace: three days after the operation, from his hospital room, he phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to ask for a ceasefire and help for civilians trapped in Ukraine. According to the Holy See Press Office, he was expected to leave Gemelli hospital on the afternoon of Saturday, October 17, on the fifth day of his stay, and return to the Vatican.

What Happened

On Sunday, October 11, the Vatican announced that the pope would have to undergo surgery for a nodular lesion in his lung. The operation took place on Tuesday the 13th at Gemelli. The surgeons, among them Dr. Stefano Margaritora, head of thoracic surgery at the hospital, removed the lower lobe of his right lung using a video-assisted technique. The surgery lasted about 90 minutes.

The examination performed during the operation confirmed a lung adenocarcinoma, as earlier studies had suggested, according to the Holy See. The Vatican described the surgery as successful and free of complications.

Recovery So Far

On Wednesday the 14th, blood tests and a chest X-ray showed a “normal postoperative course,” and the Vatican said recovery is progressing as expected. The pope began respiratory physiotherapy, walks around his room and is on a regular diet. This Saturday, doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora said the new tests and X-ray allowed them to discharge him. Before leaving, he was to celebrate Mass in a room on the hospital's 10th floor.

Despite His Health, Peace Remains on His Agenda

On Friday, October 16, just three days after the operation, the pope spoke by phone with Putin from Gemelli. The Holy See Press Office reported the call in a note to accredited media and did not specify who initiated it. It is the second known conversation between the two: the first was on June 4, 2025.

According to the Vatican, Leo expressed his “deep concern for the grave humanitarian situation” in Oleshky, a city in Ukraine's Kherson region, and asked for a ceasefire “to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance, and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population” (our translation). He also reaffirmed the Holy See's commitment to dialogue and peace.

The figures for trapped civilians vary by source. The New York Times, cited by America Magazine, reported on October 5 some 2,000 people, 40 of them children. The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) estimates more than 6,000, including about 200 children. The Institute for the Study of War reported on October 2 that no food had reached the city since May 26. The call came after the UCCRO asked, on September 19, for the intervention of the pope and other religious leaders.

The Kremlin described the conversation as constructive and marked by mutual respect. It said Putin wished the pope a speedy recovery, thanked him for his willingness to help resolve the conflict, and supports the Vatican's initiative to bring supplies to the civilians of Oleshky, a city controlled by Russia, and that “it was agreed to cooperate” on the matter. Moscow blamed the humanitarian situation on Kyiv, which in turn accuses Russia of using hunger as an instrument of coercion. No details of what was agreed have been released and, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, Russia has not accepted a safe evacuation corridor.

That same day, in his message for World Food Day, the pope called regular access to food “a basic human right,” and Vatican Media released the first images of him since the surgery, celebrating Mass at Gemelli.

This is not an isolated gesture. Elected in May 2025, in his first Sunday message he called for peace in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages. On April 12, 2026, at the Regina Caeli, he asked the parties to the conflicts to “cease fire and urgently seek a peaceful solution,” named Ukraine, Lebanon and Sudan, and asked that civilians be protected. On August 25, 2026, his Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, met in Moscow with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and said that “the position of the Holy See is clear: the conflict cannot be resolved by military means” and that “this war must end.” Lavrov agreed to strengthen cooperation on humanitarian matters, and Gallagher mentioned the upcoming mission of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi to Russia.

The concrete results remain uncertain: as the Salt Lake Tribune recalls, his earlier humanitarian appeals have often had little effect. But Friday's call shows that, even while recovering from major surgery, the pope keeps peace and aid for civilians at the center of his work.

What Comes Next

This Sunday, October 18, he is scheduled to lead the Angelus from the window of the papal apartment. All audiences are suspended until October 20. The trip to South America scheduled for November 6 remains in doubt: Peru's president said plans could change and that recovery will take “several weeks,” and air travel is generally avoided for about three weeks after this type of surgery.

What Is Still Unknown

The Vatican has not published a prognosis or a follow-up treatment plan. Dr. David Jones of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center told CBS News that the pathology result is still to be known, including whether lymph nodes were involved and which molecular tests will guide any therapy. Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago said the diagnosis “is not the news we were hoping for.”

Information as of October 17, 2026, based on Holy See statements and the press cited below. It will be updated when new medical bulletins are issued.

Sources

• Vatican News: October 17 medical bulletin
• CBS News: diagnosis and surgery
• ABC News: recovery after surgery
• America Magazine: call with Putin
• National Catholic Reporter: call with Putin and Oleshky context
• Salt Lake Tribune: first images after surgery
• Vatican News: Gallagher in Moscow
• EWTN News: April 12 appeal