Pope Leo XIV Diagnosed with Lung Cancer Following Successful Surgery

Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons successfully removed a portion of his right lung on Tuesday, the Vatican announced. The 71-year-old pontiff has adenocarcinoma, a common type of lung cancer. Tissue tests performed during the operation confirmed the diagnosis, which doctors had previously suspected based on preliminary examinations. The Pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital for the procedure to remove a growth identified during a recent health check-up.

The Vatican had earlier confirmed the success of the operation before releasing a more detailed statement from the Pope's lead surgeon and personal physician. "In order to make 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 eradicating all cancerous tissue. Medical experts indicated that determining the full extent of the Pope's condition would require knowing the size of the removed tumor and whether the cancer had metastasized to his lymph nodes.

Pope Leo is scheduled for an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to 17, though it remains uncertain if this trip will proceed as planned. In the interim, the Vatican has canceled all of his audiences until October 21 to allow for his recovery. The American-born pontiff had disclosed the discovery of the nodule during his regular Sunday blessing on October 11.

His predecessor, the late Pope Francis, experienced multiple hospitalizations in his later years due to frailty and passed away at the age of 88 in April 2025. Pope Leo was elected as the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics in May 2025. He has notably addressed the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence and has become increasingly critical of US military actions, challenging President Donald Trump's administration's assertion that divine support was with the U.S. in its conflict with Iran.