Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing successful surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said Tuesday.
The Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV’s surgery to remove a small lung growth was successful.
Further examination revealed that the lobe was cancerous, Dr. Luigi Carboni and Professor Stefano Margaritora said in a statement. Tests identified pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a common type of lung cancer.
The doctors did not disclose the cancer’s stage or how far it had progressed.
“The surgery was completed successfully, within the expected timeframe and as planned, and the Holy Father has returned to his room,” the Vatican posted Tuesday.
“The Holy Father underwent thoracic surgery as scheduled,” said Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora in a statement after the surgery ended. “To make the procedure more radical, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using video-assisted surgery.”
The American pontiff, 71, had arrived in good spirits at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome for his scheduled surgery, greeting staff and shaking hands, video footage from the scene showed.
The Vatican said Leo’s estimated recovery would take a week and canceled all of his audiences through October 20.
Leo announced the planned procedure during his Sunday noon prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
“The doctors believe it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to have it removed,” he told the crowd.
The pope has no previously known health problems. He is not a known smoker, but it is unknown if he smoked in his youth.
“These are things that can be treated very well, if the words he used reflect the clinical situation,” said Dr. Lorenzo Spaggiari, a thoracic surgeon at the European Institute of Oncology who is familiar with the team at Gemelli but is not involved in the pope’s care.
Vice President JD Vance met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in May. The meeting came amid a public spat between the Trump administration and the Chicago-born pontiff who has criticized the war in Iran.
President Donald Trump has called Leo “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”. Vance, a Catholic, came to Trump’s defense, warning the pope to “be careful” when discussing theology.
Leo has continued to preach his antiwar stance, telling reporters he has “no fear of the Trump administration.”
The pope has a major trip planned for Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru in November. A Vatican spokesperson said those plans have not changed.
