Pope Leo diagnosed with cancer as doctors remove part of lung

Pope Leo was diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed a part of his right lung on ​Tuesday, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin, marking a significant health setback for the 71-year-old pontiff. The pope has lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of cancer, with tissue ‌tests conducted during the operation confirming what doctors had suspected from preparatory examinations, the bulletin said. Leo was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove a growth detected during a recent health check-up. The Vatican initially announced that the procedure had been successful before releasing further details from the pope’s lead surgeon, Professor Stefano Margaritora, head of thoracic surgery at the hospital.The operation lasted approximately 90 minutes and was completed without complications. The pope woke up normally and was resting in his hospital room, the Vatican said. No further details about his condition were provided in the statement.

Pope Leo XIV underwent thoracic surgery at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, as planned, according to a statement from Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora released by the Holy See Press Office. The surgeons removed the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung, and tissue examined during the operation confirmed the diagnosis of “lung adenocarcinoma,” as suspected from tests conducted beforehand. The Pope was in the operating room approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes. The doctors said it was successful and there were no complications. Pope Leo awoke normally after surgery and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor, according to the statement. https://t.co/63Fs28LCZJ

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) October 13, 2026

Elected by the world’s cardinals in May 2025, Leo is relatively young for a pope. Born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, he spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming the leader of the Catholic Church. The pontiff enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to be a smoker. He had no widely reported recent health problems before the current episode.