Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery

Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing successful surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican has announced.

The 71-year-old pontiff underwent a 90-minute operation at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday, October 13, after a lung growth detected during routine medical checks was identified as pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

In a medical bulletin, the Vatican said the Pope had awakened normally after the operation and returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor following a brief period of observation.

“The whole lower lobe of the right lung was removed to ensure the procedure was radical,” the Vatican said.

A Vatican source told Agence France-Presse that further tests were being conducted to determine whether the cancer had spread.

The diagnosis followed an announcement by Pope Leo on Sunday that doctors had discovered a lung nodule, which he described as contained and detected at a very early stage. He said doctors had advised him to undergo surgery to remove it.

Although lung nodules are not necessarily cancerous, subsequent examinations confirmed that the growth was pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suspected during pre-operative tests, the Vatican said.

The pontiff’s schedule has been cleared until October 20 to allow him time to recover. However, he is keen to proceed with a planned trip to Latin America in early November, according to Cardinal Kikuchi Tarcisio Isao of Tokyo, who said the Pope had decided to undergo surgery promptly because of the upcoming visit.

The trip is expected to include Peru, where Leo spent many years as a missionary and later served as a bishop.

 News of the diagnosis has prompted concern among Catholics and senior Church officials.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin described the announcement as a shock but said the cardinals had been struck by the Pope’s calmness and remained confident 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 offer prayers and encouragement as the Pope arrived for treatment. He smiled and waved to well-wishers from his car before being received by hospital staff.

Some Catholics said the  news had taken them by surprise, but expressed hope for his recovery.

The Vatican has said the Pope had shown no symptoms of infection or illness, with Cardinal Kikuchi reporting that the pontiff had felt physically well during an audience on Monday.