Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer following a successful operation to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican has announced. The 71-year-old pontiff underwent a 90-minute procedure at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday, October 13, after a lung growth discovered during routine medical examinations was identified as pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
According to a medical bulletin issued by the Vatican, the Pope recovered normally from the operation and returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor after a brief period of observation. “The whole lower lobe of the right lung was removed to ensure the procedure was radical,” the Vatican stated.
A Vatican source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that further tests were underway to establish whether the cancer had spread to other parts of the body. The diagnosis follows an announcement by Pope Leo on Sunday that doctors had detected a lung nodule, which he described as localised and identified at a very early stage. He said medical professionals had recommended surgery to remove the growth.
Although lung nodules are not always cancerous, further examinations confirmed that the growth was pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suspected during pre-operative assessments, the Vatican said. The Pope’s official engagements have been suspended until October 20 to give him time to recover. However, he remains eager to undertake a planned visit to Latin America in early November.
Cardinal Kikuchi Tarcisio Isao of Tokyo said the pontiff had opted to undergo surgery without delay because of the upcoming trip, which is expected to include Peru. Pope Leo spent several years as a missionary in the country before later serving as a bishop. News of the diagnosis has sparked concern among Catholics and senior Church officials worldwide. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin described the development as a shock but said the cardinals had been encouraged by the Pope’s composure and remained hopeful about his recovery.
“Am I worried? Yes, because I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like this,” Cardinal Parolin told journalists on Tuesday. Outside Gemelli Hospital, crowds gathered to pray for the pontiff and express their support as he arrived for treatment. He smiled and waved to well-wishers from his car before being welcomed by hospital staff.
Some Catholics said the announcement had come as a surprise but expressed optimism about his recovery. Despite the diagnosis, the Vatican indicated that the Pope had not displayed symptoms of infection or illness. Cardinal Kikuchi also reported that the pontiff had appeared physically well during an audience on Monday.
