Pope Leo Has Cancerous Tumour Removed in Lung Operation

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV had a cancerous tumour removed from his right lung in a 90-minute operation on Tuesday, and “woke up normally” after the procedure, the Vatican said.

To make sure the procedure was radical, surgeons removed the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung, the Vatican said in a statement. The operation confirmed a diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as pre-operative tests had suggested.

The 71-year-old pontiff spent three hours in the operating room at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, with the surgery itself lasting half that time. “The surgery was successful and there were no complications,” the Vatican said. A source added that the pope had requested dinner after the procedure.

Further tests are being carried out to determine whether the cancer has spread.

Pope Leo’s lung operation: what the doctors found

The nodule was discovered “at a very early stage” during routine medical checks, the pope himself told crowds in St Peter’s Square on Sunday after Angelus prayers, in a surprise announcement.

“The doctors believe it would be right to intervene,” he said.

The Vatican told AFP the nodule turned up during routine health checks, and no symptoms had led doctors to examine the pope’s lungs. A medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, Juanita Mora, told AFP that when this type of cancer is caught in early stages, “it has a very, very good prognosis”.

Much will depend on the stage of the cancer found and whether it has spread, she said. Where the tumour is caught early and localised, five-year survival rates for lung adenocarcinoma run between 80 and 98 per cent. Doctors will now decide whether the pope needs chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy or immunotherapy.

A week of recovery, and a Latin America trip in doubt

The Vatican expects the recovery to take a week. The pope’s audiences have been cancelled until October 20, and the operation raises questions over a lengthy visit to Latin America planned for next month.

Leo is scheduled to travel to South America from November 6 to 17, visiting Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The trip would be a major early test of his papacy, and its fate now hangs on his recovery.

The surgery marks Leo’s first hospitalisation since he became head of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025. The Chicago-born pontiff, the first pope from the United States, is known to be sporty and generally in good health.

He entered the hospital smiling and waving on Tuesday morning, hours before the surgery. He is staying in a room on the 10th floor of the Gemelli, next to a papal suite with a private chapel that is currently under renovation.

World reacts with prayers for Pope Leo

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a practising Catholic, said he and his wife were “united in prayer for (Leo’s) health following his recent diagnosis”. “May the Lord give him strength and the Holy Spirit guide the medical professionals taking care of the Holy Father,” Rubio wrote on X.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his “thoughts and prayers” were with the pontiff, calling him “a voice for peace, humanity and reason in our modern world”.

Inside the hospital chapel, the Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, led a rosary prayer for the pope, broadcast by the Vatican. Dozens attended, and Reina asked all the city’s parishes to join in. The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, told the ANSA news agency that Leo had been “very calm” about his condition when they met on Monday.

The Vatican has historically been secretive about the health of popes, but grew more transparent during the illness of Leo’s predecessor Francis, an Argentine who spoke freely about his ailments. Outside the hospital, well-wishers gathered with lamps and flowers. “He’s still quite young and I really wasn’t expecting this,” said Giuseppe Purpura, 72. “Thankfully it was caught in time.”

What operation did Pope Leo have?

Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung in a 90-minute operation at Rome’s Gemelli hospital to take out a cancerous tumour. The Vatican confirmed the diagnosis as pulmonary adenocarcinoma and said the surgery was successful with no complications.

How long will the pope’s recovery take?

The Vatican expects recovery to take about a week. His audiences are cancelled until October 20, and his planned November 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is now in doubt.

What is pulmonary adenocarcinoma?

It is the most common type of lung cancer. When caught at an early, localised stage, five-year survival rates range from 80 to 98 per cent, according to the American Lung Association. Doctors will run further tests to check whether the pope’s cancer has spread.