Pope Leo has lung cancer, Vatican confirms

Pope Leo has been diagnosed with cancer after part of his lung was removed. 

The Pontiff, 71, went in for a 90-minute surgery this morning after a lesion was found on his chest. 

The Vatican confirmed on Tuesday night the nodule had been removed, but tests had found it was cancerous. 

Leo was in the operating room for around three hours, a spokesman said. 

He added that the operation was successful and that there were no complications. 

After the surgery, Pope Leo XIV woke up normally and returned to his room on the tenth floor of the hospital. 

The surgery requires a week-long hospital stay and the Vatican on Monday cancelled all Leo's audiences through to October 20.  

The pope had walked into Rome's Gemelli hospital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him. 

Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora issued the following statement regarding this afternoon's operation: 'The Holy Father underwent thoracic surgery as scheduled.

'To ensure a radical procedure, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique. The intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the pre-operative tests.

'The Holy Father was in the operating theatre for approximately three hours; the operation itself lasted about ninety minutes. The operation was successful and there were no complications.

'Following the operation, the Pope woke up normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the tenth floor.

'The surgical team was led by Professor Stefano Margaritora, assisted by Professor Elisa Meacci, Dr Maria Teresa Congedo and Dr Leonardo Petracca Caravella.

'The anaesthesia team consisted of Professor Massimo Antonelli, Dr Giovanni Punzo and Dr Giuseppe Bello.'

The American pontiff has offered a rare level of transparency about the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy.

He revealed the discovery of the small, localized nodule during his Sunday noon prayer and announced that he would have it removed.

Experts said prior to the operation that even if the nodule turned out to be cancerous, Leo's prognosis is 'excellent' since it will have been removed at an early stage. 

A churchman who saw Leo on Monday, Tokyo Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi Tsutomu, said the pope told him he felt fine and decided to have the surgery immediately so that he wouldn't have to alter his upcoming travel plans to Latin America.

But the decision clearly came as a surprise. While Gemelli has a specific papal apartment that past popes have used, complete with a private chapel on the tenth floor, Leo will actually be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is currently undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office.

This is a breaking news story. More to come.