Meridian World Desk
Pope Leo XIV underwent a 90-minute operation on Tuesday to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung, the Vatican said, confirming a diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of the right lung to ensure the procedure was radical, and the Holy See Press Office said the surgery was successful with no complications.
The operation was carried out at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic, long the hospital of choice for papal medical care. The pope, 71, was in the operating theatre for about three hours in total, though the procedure itself lasted roughly 90 minutes. The surgical team was led by Stefano Margaritora, chief of thoracic surgery at Gemelli, who performed a video-assisted lobectomy. Intraoperative tissue examination confirmed the adenocarcinoma that doctors had suspected before the operation.
The Vatican said Leo woke up normally and passed a calm first night in recovery. On Wednesday, doctors reported he was eating, walking and doing respiratory exercises, and that post-operative tests were normal. Luigi Carbone, one of the pope’s physicians, joined Margaritora in briefing reporters on his condition. The Vatican has cancelled the pope’s public audiences until 20 October and expects his recovery to take about a week.
What is not yet known
Doctors have not yet determined whether the cancer has spread or established its stage. Further tests are expected in the coming days to clarify the extent of the disease and guide any additional treatment.
The discovery came to light in an unusually public way. Leo disclosed the nodule himself during Sunday Angelus prayers on 11 October, two days before the surgery was announced, saying it had been found during routine medical checks rather than because of any symptoms. The disclosure marked a departure from the secrecy that has often surrounded the health of Roman pontiffs. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, told the Italian news agency ANSA that the pope had been calm about his condition the day before the operation.
Trip to Latin America in question
Leo had been due to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru next month on what would have been the longest journey of his papacy so far. That trip is now in doubt as he recovers, though the Vatican has not announced a final decision on whether it will proceed, be shortened or be postponed.
Leo, born in Chicago, became the first American pope when he was elected in May 2025. His health carries weight well beyond Vatican City, given his role as spiritual leader to more than a billion Catholics worldwide and the diplomatic significance of his travel schedule.
Well-wishes followed the Vatican’s announcement. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a practicing Catholic, said publicly that he was praying for the pope’s health. Medical experts not involved in his care have also weighed in on the broader picture for adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer; Juanita Mora, a medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, has pointed to generally favourable survival rates when the disease is caught early and treated surgically, as appears to have happened in this case.
The Vatican has given no indication of further surgery or treatment being planned beyond the completed lobectomy, pending the results of additional tests. Officials have said updates on the pope’s condition will continue as his recovery progresses.