Pope Leo XIV spent a peaceful night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung and doctors confirmed cancer, the Vatican said Wednesday. The 71-year-old American pontiff has lung adenocarcinoma. What comes next isn’t yet clear.
The Vatican called the night peaceful and tranquil, adding that it would provide more information later in the day. A medical bulletin issued late Tuesday said tests had pointed to the diagnosis before the operation, which then confirmed it. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer, a form of non-small cell lung cancer that accounts for 80% of all cases, according to the American Lung Association.
What Doctors Did, and What They Haven’t Said
The Vatican said surgeons completed the operation to remove a malignant lung nodule “successfully, on schedule and as planned.” The surgery lasted about 90 minutes, while Leo spent roughly three hours in the operating room. “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the statement said. Surgeons removed the lobe with a “video-assisted technique.” Dr. Stefano Margaritora, Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, led the team. Staff recited the rosary in the hospital chapel as the procedure began. Afterward, the pontiff “woke up normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the tenth floor.”
Still, the bulletin left major questions unanswered. It gave no details about planned treatment and didn’t say whether the cancer may have spread. The Vatican said doctors aren’t currently discussing chemotherapy or other therapies; they’re waiting for further test results before deciding on a course. The press office pointed to the word “radical” to describe the lobe’s removal, saying it indicated surgeons took out all suspect tissue. Experts said Leo’s lymph nodes would also have been removed and tested to check whether the cancer had spread. Officials haven’t released those results. For now, the implications for his long-term health remain unclear.
What the Experts Say Comes Next
Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center who isn’t involved in the pope’s care, called adenocarcinoma “the most common, also with the most favorable prognosis.” But one key detail remains missing. “While we know the diagnosis we now need to know the stage,” Liu said. “We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?”
If the cancer has spread, Liu said, further tests would guide treatment. Options include chemotherapy, chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, or targeted therapy, which uses oral pills for specific cancers.
There’s some reassuring context. The right lung has three lobes and the left has two. Once doctors remove one, the remaining lung can gradually compensate, especially in otherwise healthy, active people. Leo plays tennis weekly and swims. This cancer affects smokers and nonsmokers, though he isn’t known ever to have smoked. Before the operation, oncologists said his prognosis would be “excellent” even if the nodule proved cancerous, because doctors caught it early. A routine check found the nodule.
A Rare Disclosure and a Packed Schedule
Leo took the rare step of disclosing the health issue himself during his Sunday noon prayer. It marked the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy. He told the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics that doctors had found a localized nodule and would remove it.
He walked through Gemelli’s main entrance Tuesday and waved to dozens of well-wishers. The Vatican canceled all his audiences through Oct. 20. Whether he can make his planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, about three weeks away, remains undecided. Oncologists often advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery. The itinerary is the longest of his papacy: just over 31,000 kilometers (19,000 miles) across a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, plus a significant altitude change in Peru. “If it is stage 1, he can complete these trips,” Liu said. “If more treatment is needed, I would likely advise against the trips.”
Just weeks ago, hundreds of thousands packed the streets of Paris for an outdoor mass, where Leo warned about the risks of artificial intelligence.
Support came from around the world. Dr. Fernando Daniels III, a 67-year-old physician from Maryland, prayed for Leo in St. Peter’s Square. “I’ve seen miracles in medicine,” he told NBC News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he and his wife, Jeanette Rubio, were praying for the pope. New York City’s Archbishop Ronald Hicks thanked God the surgery was “by all accounts, successful.” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose role is largely ceremonial, said the pope’s voice on the challenges of our time is “of particular importance and of value to many people worldwide, including in Germany, beyond denominational boundaries.”
Why This Matters:
A world leader’s cancer diagnosis, disclosed openly, draws attention to something millions of families face: waiting for staging results that shape everything afterward. Leo’s early detection through a routine check shows what regular screening and access to skilled surgical care can do—advantages not everyone shares. His planned South America trip, and the voice Steinmeier says many people value beyond denominational lines, now depend on test results still pending. By revealing the diagnosis rather than concealing it, the Vatican also sets a standard of openness that public institutions owe the people who rely on them.