Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing successful surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican has said in a medical bulletin.
The 71-year-old pontiff had a 90-minute operation on Tuesday at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and was afterwards diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma.
In its statement, the Vatican said the Pope woke normally after the operation and was returned to his room on the 10th floor following a short period of observation.
The growth was first found during what the Vatican described as routine checks.
The Vatican said the whole lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung was removed “to ensure the procedure was radical”. A Vatican source told Agence France-Presse that more tests were being carried out to establish whether the cancer had spread.
Pope Leo announced the operation himself on Sunday, speaking from the balcony in St Peter’s Square after delivering the traditional Angelus blessing. He said the nodule on his lung was “contained” and had been discovered “at a very early stage”, and that doctors had advised him to have it removed.
The operation was performed by Gemelli’s thoracic surgery team. The Pope’s schedule has already been cleared until 20 October to allow him time to recover.
Nodules are fairly common and are not necessarily cancerous, but the Vatican said the medical team confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma after examining it, “as suspected by pre-operative tests”. The Vatican stressed that the pontiff, who is generally considered to be fit, had shown no symptoms of infection or illness.
Cardinal Kikuchi Tarcisio Isao of Tokyo wrote on social media that he had had an audience with Pope Leo on Monday, and said the pontiff felt physically “nothing wrong”. He said the Pope had chosen to check in for surgery as soon as possible because he is due to travel to Latin America in early November and was keen to stick to that plan. The trip is particularly significant because it includes a visit to Peru, where the pontiff served as a missionary and then as a Bishop for many years.
Earlier, large crowds gathered outside the hospital to greet the Pope, with some waiting for several hours. They cheered greetings and good wishes as he passed, while he waved and smiled back through the lowered back window of his car. Staff met him on the hospital steps, one telling him “I’m sorry”, to which he responded with a smile and a shrug, and another assuring him “We’re here for you”.
Despite the reassurances, the news has shaken Catholics around the world.
“Am I worried? Yes, because I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like this,” Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin told journalists on Tuesday. He agreed the news was like a “bolt from the blue”, but said the cardinals had been struck by the Pope’s “serenity” and were confident in his recovery.
Outside Gemelli Hospital, which has treated several popes and is home to a large statue of John Paul II, a few Catholics lingered after the pontiff was admitted. “He seems calm, so we are calm too – even though illness is always unpleasant,” one woman told the BBC. “We will wait here and pray.”
Elsa, who was also present, said she was in St Peter’s Square when the announcement was made and felt “really awful”. She said she was really taken aback, explaining that when Pope Leo was elected she had thought he was a younger, healthier pontiff.
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