Pope Leo XIV spent a calm 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. Dr. Stefano Margaritora, Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, led the operation. The Vatican called it “successful, and there were no complications.” Leo spent about three hours in the operating room; the surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes.
Who Gets the Care
The 71-year-old pontiff underwent a video-assisted procedure performed by the hospital’s chief thoracic surgeon. As the operation began, staff recited the rosary in the hospital chapel. Gemelli maintains a dedicated papal apartment with a private chapel on the 10th floor. Renovations are underway, so Leo is staying in a nearby room next to the apartment, according to the Vatican press office.
The Vatican described the nodule’s discovery as part of a routine check. Before the operation, oncologists said Leo’s prognosis would be “excellent” even if the nodule proved cancerous, because doctors would have removed it at an early stage. 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.” Early detection, a top surgeon and a dedicated suite shaped that prognosis; luck had nothing to do with those conditions.
Adenocarcinoma, a non-small cell lung cancer, accounts for 80% of all cases, according to the American Lung Association. It affects smokers and nonsmokers alike. Leo isn’t known to have ever smoked. He is known to be sporty, playing weekly tennis and swimming.
What Remains Unknown
The Vatican hasn’t said what treatment comes next or whether the cancer has spread. Doctors aren’t currently discussing chemotherapy or other therapies while they await further test results. Experts said Leo’s lymph nodes would have been removed and tested, but no results have emerged yet. Liu said the key questions concern the stage of the disease: “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, treatment options include chemotherapy, chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, or targeted therapy in the form of oral pills.
The Vatican press office pointed to the statement’s reference to the “radical” removal of the lobe as a sign that doctors took out all suspect tissue.
The Calendar Reorders Itself
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. The itinerary, the longest of his papacy, calls for just over 31,000 kilometers (19,000 miles) across a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, as well as a significant altitude change in Peru. Oncologists often advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery. Liu said: “If it is stage 1, he can complete these trips. If more treatment is needed, I would likely advise against the trips.”
Only weeks earlier, hundreds of thousands of people packed the streets of Paris for an outdoor mass, where Leo warned about the risks of artificial intelligence.
The Messages From Power
Messages of support came from state and church leaders. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he and his wife, Jeanette Rubio, were praying for the pope. He wrote on X: “May the Lord give him strength and the Holy Spirit guide the medical professionals taking care of the Holy Father.” New York City’s Archbishop Ronald Hicks said, “We thank God that the surgery on Pope Leo was, by all accounts, successful.” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the pope’s voice on “the current issues and challenges of our time is of particular importance.”
Dozens of well-wishers gathered outside the hospital Tuesday as Leo walked through the main entrance. In St. Peter’s Square, Dr. Fernando Daniels III, a 67-year-old physician from Maryland, told NBC News: “I’ve seen miracles in medicine. I’ve seen people told with terminal illnesses they wouldn’t live and they did.”