Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung during an operation at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said, in an unusually candid disclosure about the pontiff's health early in his papacy.
The 71-year-old pope underwent the roughly 90-minute procedure on Tuesday after spending about three hours in the operating theater. The Vatican said preoperative tests had raised suspicion of cancer, and the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma was confirmed once doctors examined the tissue removed during surgery, according to the Guardian. Surgeons removed the entire lower lobe "to ensure the procedure was radical," the Vatican said in a medical bulletin, adding that there were no complications and that Leo "awoke normally" before returning to his room.
The Vatican said the pope had a "peaceful night" following the operation and is expected to remain hospitalized for about a week; his public appointments have been cancelled until October 20. A Vatican source told AFP that further tests were underway to check whether there was any sign the cancer had spread.
Leo himself disclosed the coming surgery on Sunday, speaking from the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square after his traditional Angelus blessing. He told the crowd doctors had found a small nodule on his lung during a routine checkup, and that it was "contained" and caught "at a very early stage."
The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it.
Pope Leo XIV, Angelus address, St Peter's Square, Oct. 11, 2026
Large crowds gathered outside Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday to see the pope arrive. Witnesses described him waving and smiling through the lowered window of his car as well-wishers called out support; one hospital staffer told him "I'm sorry" as he arrived, to which the pope reportedly responded with a smile and a shrug, before being told, "We're here for you."
The disclosure drew messages of support from world leaders. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a practicing Catholic who has met with Leo, said he and his wife were "united in prayers" for the pope, while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wished him a quick recovery, calling him "a voice for peace, humanity and reason in our modern world." Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, told Italy's Rai News he had spoken with Leo the night before the operation: "We spoke with great serenity. He is truly a great example."
Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, became the first American-born head of the Roman Catholic Church when he was elected in May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis. He has no previously known health problems and is staying in a private-patient wing of Gemelli Hospital rather than the papal suite, which is being renovated. It remains unclear whether the diagnosis will affect his planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for November 6-17; further updates on his recovery and prognosis are expected in coming days.
