The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo, now 71, was diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed part of his right lung on Tuesday afternoon.
After a cancerous mass was removed from his right lung late on Tuesday, Leo began walking in his hospital room after respiratory therapy on Wednesday and is eating normally (The Guardian).
In a statement issued by the Vatican, Pope Leo’s doctors said that a blood test and chest X-ray showed “normal post-operative progress” and the results were “within the expected range for the type of procedure performed” (The Guardian).
The surgery is the Chicago-born pope’s first hospitalisation since he became head of the Catholic Church in May 2025 (SBS).