Members of the media gather outside the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, Italy, where Pope Leo underwent a successful thoracic surgery. (EPA Images pic)VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo had a good night in hospital and has eaten breakfast, the Vatican said on Thursday, as the 71-year-old recovers from surgery for lung cancer.

Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in a surgery on Tuesday afternoon.

The Vatican has said the surgery was completed successfully, without complications. It has not yet disclosed the size of the tumour or whether the disease had spread to nearby lymph nodes, key factors in determining prognosis.