Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung cancer following the removal of part of his right lung on Tuesday, according to a Vatican medical bulletin, marking a significant health setback for the 71‑year‑old pontiff.
The pontiff is suffering from adenocarcinoma, a common type of lung cancer. Pathology performed during the surgery confirmed the tumor type, corroborating earlier suspicions from preparatory scans, the bulletin reported.
He was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for surgery to excise the lesion that had been identified during a recent health examination.
The Vatican announced earlier that evening that the operation had been successful and subsequently released a detailed update from the pope’s lead surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, and his personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone.
“In order to render the procedure curative, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video‑assisted technique,” the medical update stated, emphasizing the goal of removing all cancerous tissue.
Human lungs consist of five lobes—three on the right side and two on the left.
Medical experts noted that a full assessment of the case depends on the size of the resected tumor and whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes—details the Vatican has not yet released.
“We have a diagnosis, but the cancer stage remains unknown, which is crucial for prognosis and treatment planning,” said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer specialist at Georgetown University in Washington and division chief of hematology‑oncology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
“‘If the tumor is small and has not spread to the lymph nodes, surgery alone is likely curative,’ he told Reuters. ‘Conversely, if further analysis shows a more extensive disease, the outlook is less favorable.'”
Recovering in His Hospital Room
The operation, performed on Tuesday, lasted roughly 90 minutes and concluded without complications, according to the Vatican. Pope Leo has awoken normally and is currently resting in his hospital room.
He departed the Vatican shortly before 1 p.m. (1100 GMT) for the procedure, waving from the back of a black SUV as his convoy traveled approximately 9 km (5.6 miles) north to the Gemelli Hospital.
On arrival, Leo shook hands with officials, walked past a gathering of well‑wishers—who greeted him with shouts of ‘Auguri’ (best wishes)—and entered through the main entrance.
The Vatican indicated earlier this week that he is anticipated to remain hospitalized for roughly a week, with all public engagements postponed until October 20.
Elected by the College of Cardinals in May 2025, Leo is notably young for a pontiff. He is an avid sports enthusiast, playing tennis, and has no known history of smoking or recent medical problems.
The late Pope Francis, his predecessor, faced multiple hospital stays as he aged and ultimately passed away at 88 years old in April 2025.
Vatican Operations Proceed Without Papal Approval During Illness
As the supreme earthly authority for approximately 1.4 billion Catholics, the pope has no deputy who assumes duties during periods of incapacity.
When a pope is incapacitated, the Vatican’s extensive bureaucracy continues its routine operations, deferring any decisions that require papal sanction.
Born in Chicago in 1955 as Robert Prevost, Leo spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before his election. In 1985, as a young priest, he contracted typhoid fever in Chulucanas, Peru, and was hospitalized.
He later described the ordeal in his sole major papal interview, published in a book for Penguin Peru.
The pain was so severe that he pleaded with God to let him die, but after recovering he interpreted his survival as a divine sign: “We need you here (on Earth),” he recalled.
\”I never looked back,\” Leo said.