MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer and underwent successful surgery, Vatican says

Leo XIV announced on Sunday, after the Angelus prayer, that a lung nodule had been detected “at a very early stage” and was “well localised”

Pope Leo XIV, 71, has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma and underwent successful surgery on Tuesday at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Holy See said in a medical bulletin. The operation comes three weeks before the start of his tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, whose schedule has not been changed.

According to the bulletin, a histological examination carried out during the operation “confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the preoperative tests”. To “ensure a radical intervention”, surgeons removed the entire lower lobe using a video-assisted technique. The pontiff spent about three hours in the operating room, though the surgery itself lasted about 90 minutes. “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the Vatican said. After waking normally and a brief period of observation, he returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor.

A Vatican source quoted by the AFP news agency said further tests were being carried out to determine whether there were signs the cancer had spread. The Vatican had said the Pope would remain in hospital for about a week, and his schedule has been cleared until October 20.

Leo XIV announced on Sunday, after the Angelus prayer, that a lung nodule had been detected “at a very early stage” and was “well localised”. The Archbishop of Tokyo, Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, who met him on Monday, said the Pope had decided to have surgery as soon as possible because he wants to keep his trip to South America, scheduled from November 6 to 17, with stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he served as a missionary and bishop.

“Am I worried? Yes, because I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like this,” said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who highlighted the pontiff’s “serenity”. It is the first serious health problem publicly disclosed since the start of his papacy in May 2025.