Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful during the Sunday Angelus prayer in a studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, October 11, 2026, in Vatican City.
Vatican pool | Getty Images
Pope Leo was diagnosed with a common form of lung cancer after doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in an operation on Tuesday, the Vatican announced in a medical bulletin.
The 71-year-old pope has lung adenocarcinoma, and tissue tests performed during the surgery confirmed what doctors suspected in preliminary tests, the bulletin said.
The pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove a tumor on his lung that doctors discovered during a recent medical examination.
The Vatican had announced on Tuesday evening that the operation was a success, before providing a more detailed update from the pope’s chief surgeon, Professor Stefano Margaritola, head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli Hospital.
“In order to make this procedure curative, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using video-assisted technology,” Margaritla’s update said.
“Rapid intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected on preoperative examination,” the study report said.
The Vatican said Tuesday’s surgery lasted about 90 minutes and was successful without any complications. The Pope woke up normally and was resting in his hospital room.
The statement did not provide further details.
Expected hospitalization for 1 week
Leo left the Vatican in Rome just before 1pm (11am Japan time) ahead of the surgery and was seen waving from the back seat of a black SUV as the convoy headed to Gemelli, about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) north of the Vatican.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Leo shook hands with several officials and walked past a crowd of waiting well-wishers, some of whom shouted “Oguri” (good luck). He then headed to the hospital through the front door.
The Vatican announced earlier this week that the pope is expected to recover in hospital for about a week. All his public events have been canceled until October 20th.
Leo, who was elected by the world’s cardinals in May 2025, is a relatively young church leader. He enjoys sports such as tennis, but is not known to be a smoker or have had any recent health problems.
Leo’s predecessor, the late Pope Francis, became frail in his later years and was hospitalized multiple times. He passed away in April 2025 at the age of 88.
Leo, who spoke in a firm, clear voice at his only public event on Monday, has a very busy schedule. They are scheduled to go on an 11-day tour from November 6th to 17th, visiting Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru.
typhoid
The Pope is the ultimate authority on earth for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, and there is no representative who can stand in for him when he is ill. When the pope becomes incapacitated, business in the Vatican’s vast bureaucracy continues as usual, with decisions requiring papal approval put on hold.
Leo was born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955 and served as a missionary and bishop in Peru for decades before becoming Pope. In 1985, while a young priest, he contracted typhoid fever in Chucanas, Peru, and was hospitalized.
He recounted the experience in the Penguin Peru book, the only major interview he has given as pope.
Leo said the pain was so bad that he begged God to let him die instead of continuing to suffer. He took his survival as a sign from God that “you are needed here.”
“I never looked back,” Leo said.
