The Vatican announced on 13 October that Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer, after surgeons at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The operation followed his announcement on 11 October that doctors had found a small, localized nodule during recent medical examinations. Examination during surgery confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, which pre-operative tests had already suggested. The Vatican described the procedure as successful and free of complications, performed with a video-assisted technique aimed at a radical resection.
The pontiff was in the operating theatre for roughly three hours, though the surgery itself reportedly lasted about ninety minutes. He regained consciousness normally and was moved to a room on the hospital’s tenth floor, as the papal apartment there is under renovation. The operation was led by the hospital’s chief thoracic surgeon, Dr Stefano Margaritora. The Vatican has not disclosed the stage of the cancer, whether it has spread, or whether further treatment will be needed.
All papal audiences through 20 October have been cancelled while he recovers. A planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru beginning 6 November is now in question, as air travel is normally avoided for about three weeks after such surgery. Leo, who had no previously known health problems and is physically active, said he chose surgery on his doctors’ advice. The news has prompted wide attention across the Catholic world, with many watching for further medical updates from the Holy See.