Pope Leo XIV spent a peaceful night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed he has cancer, the Vatican said Wednesday. Another account described the night as calm and tranquil. The Vatican said it would provide more information later in the day.
The diagnosis is lung adenocarcinoma. Preoperative tests had suggested it, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin issued late Tuesday, and surgery confirmed it. The 71-year-old American pontiff has the most common form of lung cancer, a type of non-small cell lung cancer that accounts for 80% of all cases, according to the American Lung Association.
The Procedure
The operation to remove a malignant lung nodule finished “successfully, on schedule and as planned,” the Vatican said. The surgery lasted roughly 90 minutes, though Leo spent about three hours in the operating room. “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the statement said.
Surgeons used a “video-assisted technique” to remove the lobe. Dr. Stefano Margaritora, Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, led the team. As the operation began, medical staff recited the rosary in the hospital chapel. Afterward, the pontiff “woke up normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the tenth floor,” the Vatican said.
The pope isn’t staying in Gemelli’s usual papal apartment, which has a private chapel on the 10th floor. He’s in a nearby room because renovations are underway in the apartment, according to the Vatican press office.
What Isn’t Known
The Vatican hasn’t said what treatment comes next or whether the cancer has spread. Its medical bulletin didn’t mention future therapy. Doctors aren’t currently discussing chemotherapy or other treatments, the Vatican said; they’re waiting for further test results before choosing a course.
The press office pointed to the bulletin’s reference to the “radical” removal of the lobe as a sign doctors took out all suspect tissue, hoping to clear any lingering traces of the disease. Experts said Leo’s lymph nodes would also have been removed and tested for signs that the cancer had spread. There’s no word yet on those results. For now, the implications for his long-term health remain unclear.
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 (type of lung cancer), also with the most favorable prognosis.” But he stressed what doctors still need to know. “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 disease has spread, Liu said, more tests would determine the therapy. Options include chemotherapy, chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, or targeted therapy using oral pills for specific cancers.
Recovery and the Calendar
Before the operation, oncologists said that even if the nodule proved cancerous, Leo’s prognosis would be “excellent” because doctors would remove it at an early stage. The right lung has three lobes. After surgeons remove one, the rest can gradually compensate, especially in otherwise healthy, physically active people. Leo is known to be sporty, with weekly tennis games and swimming. This cancer strikes smokers and nonsmokers alike, and Leo isn’t known to have ever smoked.
The Vatican canceled all of Leo’s audiences through Oct. 20. His planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru remains in question. It’s the longest itinerary 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. Oncologists often advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery, leaving just enough time. “If it is stage 1, he can complete these trips. If more treatment is needed, I would likely advise against the trips,” Liu said.
A routine check found the lump. Leo took the rare step of disclosing the issue himself during his Sunday noon prayer, the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy. On Tuesday, he walked through Gemelli’s main entrance and waved to dozens of well-wishers.
Support Pours In
Just weeks earlier, hundreds of thousands packed Paris streets for an outdoor mass during a visit when Leo warned about the risks of artificial intelligence. Now messages of support are arriving from around the world. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he and his wife, Jeanette Rubio, were praying for the pope, who was born in Chicago. “May the Lord give him strength and the Holy Spirit guide the medical professionals taking care of the Holy Father,” Rubio wrote on X.
New York City’s Archbishop Ronald Hicks said, “We thank God that the surgery on Pope Leo was, by all accounts, successful, and that he continues his recovery and recuperation.” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose role is largely ceremonial, said the pope’s voice on current challenges is of “particular importance and of value to many people worldwide, including in Germany, beyond denominational boundaries,” per the German Catholic news agency KNA.
In St. Peter’s Square, Dr. Fernando Daniels III, a 67-year-old Maryland physician, prayed for the pontiff. “I’ve seen miracles in medicine,” he told NBC News.
Why This Matters:
The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is a major moral and diplomatic figure, and his health carries weight well beyond Rome. Steinmeier’s remark that Leo’s voice matters “beyond denominational boundaries” captures that reach. The institutional question is continuity. The Vatican has shared the diagnosis but hasn’t answered questions about treatment or staging. Those answers will shape Leo’s schedule, including a demanding South American itinerary that oncologists say may hinge on whether the cancer has spread. Clear, timely disclosure matters for an institution that depends on public trust, and for the governments, dioceses and faithful who plan around a pope’s calendar. Early detection from a routine check, followed by prompt surgery at a leading hospital, also shows how routine screening and skilled care can turn a frightening diagnosis into a manageable one. The next test results will settle much of what remains uncertain.