ROME, Oct 13 — Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed a part of his right lung on Tuesday, marking a significant health setback for the 71-year-old pontiff.
The Vatican said in a medical bulletin that the pontiff has lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of cancer, with tissue tests conducted during the operation confirming what doctors had suspected from preparatory examinations.
His Holiness was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove the growth that doctors had discovered in a recent routine health check.
The Pope's lead surgeon Dr Stefano Margaritora and His Holiness' personal physician Dr Luigi Carbone, said that the procedure lasted about 90 minutes and was successful, with no complications.
"In order to make the procedure curative, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique," they said in a statement, making clear that the aim was to eliminate all cancerous tissue.
Human lungs have five lobes: three in the right lung and two in the left.
A medical expert said that in order to assess the Pope's case, they would need to know the size of the tumour and whether the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes, information the Vatican did not immediately provide.
"While we have the diagnosis, we do not yet have the stage. This is critical to prognosis and treatment. If this is a small lung cancer with no lymph nodes involved, surgery itself is likely to be curative.
"But if final analysis reveals a greater extent of cancer involvement, this indicates a poorer prognosis," said Washington-based Georgetown University lung cancer expert and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital haematology-oncology division chief Dr Stephen Liu to Reuters.
Resting in his hospital room
The pontiff regained consciousness normally after the operation and later returned to his hospital room, where he was resting.
Earlier this week, the Vatican said that His Holiness was expected to remain in hospital for about a week and all his public events have been cancelled until October 20.
Pope Leo XIV left the Vatican ahead of the surgery shortly before 1pm (1100 GMT) in Rome and was seen waving from the back of a black sport utility vehicle as his convoy drove about 9km north of the Vatican to the Gemelli.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the Pope shook hands with several officials, walked in front of a waiting crowd of well-wishers, some of whom shouted 'Auguri' (best wishes), and entered through the main entrance.
His Holiness, elected by the world's cardinals in May 2025, is relatively young for a Church leader. He enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to smoke or to have had recent health issues.
The late Pope Francis, Leo's predecessor, was hospitalised several times as he grew frail in his later years. He died aged 88 in April 2025.
Pope Leo XIV, who spoke in a firm, clear voice at his only public event on Monday, keeps a very busy schedule. He is due to make an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to November 17, but it was unclear whether the trip would still go ahead.
Typhoid fever
The pontiff is the ultimate earthly authority for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and has no deputy who steps in when he is sick. When a pope is incapacitated, the Vatican's vast bureaucracy carries on as usual, holding off on any decisions that require papal approval.
His Holiness, born in Chicago in 1955 as Robert Prevost, served for decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming pope. In 1985, when he was a young priest, the pontiff came down with typhoid fever in Chulucanas, Peru, and was hospitalised.
He recounted the experience in his only major interview given as pope, in a book for Penguin Peru.
Pope Leo XIV said the pain was so bad that he asked God to die rather than continue suffering. He took his survival as a sign from God that "We need you here (on Earth)," he said.
"I never looked back," said the pontiff.
