Doctors say Pope Leo's lung has recovered well from surgery and say his post-operative tests normal

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV’s lung has recovered well from surgery to remove a cancerous nodule, and he resumed working from the hospital on Thursday, his doctors and the Vatican reported.

Leo’s post-operative tests remained within normal levels and his physiotherapy session Thursday involved full mobility exercises, with the pope going about his daily activities independently, said the update from Leo’s personal doctor, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and the head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli hospital, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.

“The chest X-ray revealed good recovery of the operated lung,” they reported. “Overall, his postoperative recovery is proceeding as expected.”

Separately, the Vatican said Leo had resumed working from the hospital, looking at documents, and had for a second day celebrated Mass with other priests in a special chapel set up for him near his room on the 10th floor of the hospital.

The 71-year-old Leo had the lower right lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

Doctors are still awaiting the results of tests to understand the precise molecular makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether any further treatment is necessary.

Asked if any changes to Leo's planned trip to South America from Nov. 6-17 were expected, spokesman Matteo Bruni pointed to Leo's words on Sunday when he announced the discovery of the nodule and impending surgery.

“Thank you for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru,” Leo said Sunday in Spanish, in a greeting delivered to a Peruvian group. The trip is also scheduled to include stops in Uruguay and Argentina.

Leo is expected to remain hospitalized until at least Oct. 20.

Colleen Barry reported from Milan.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Leo XIV leaves at the end the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo XIV delivers the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A picture of Pope Leo XIV is seen at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A banner reading "Ematology greets the pope" hangs from a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Leo XIV is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The statue of late pope St. John Paul II, center, is pictured at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inched up last week as layoffs remain historically low and most American workers enjoy job security.

Initial jobless claims for the week ending October 10 ticked up by 1,000 to 199,000 from the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose by 250 to 198,500.

Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have remained at a historically low level below 220,000.

The weekly report continues to suggest that most companies are confident enough in the economy and their sales to hold onto their workers. At the same time, hiring has been sluggish, resulting in a “low-hire, low-fire” job market. Last month, the unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2%.

Earlier this month the government said that businesses and other employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, down from 133,000 in August and below what economists had forecast.

Yet with population growth slowing and immigration into the United States dropping, the economy doesn’t need to generate as many jobs every month to keep the unemployment rate low.

Despite a broadly healthy labor market, there are concerns that higher borrowing costs and persistent inflation caused by rising energy prices could cause businesses to slash jobs to reduce costs.

Earlier this week, the grocery store chain Kroger said it would lay off about 3,000 corporate employees over the next three years. Rival chain Albertson’s, which has already reduced its headcount, said more job cuts were coming.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending October 3 fell by 4,000 to 1.71 million, also a historically healthy figure.

Hiring sign is displayed at a bakery in Arlington Heights, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)