According to a medical bulletin released by the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with cancer following surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.
The Vatican said tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, noting that the diagnosis had been suspected before the surgery. However, the Vatican did not provide details on the prognosis or treatment plan.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Vatican said the surgery lasted 90 minutes and was "successful, with no complications." The 71-year-old pope has returned to his room at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he is expected to recover for a week, and all audiences through October 20 have been canceled.
The Vatican added that doctors have not yet discussed chemotherapy or other therapies, pending the results of additional tests.
The Holy See press office noted that the medical bulletin used the word "radical" to describe the lobe removal, implying that doctors removed all suspicious tissue in the hope of eradicating any remaining traces of cancer.
Before the surgery, Pope Leo waved to dozens of supporters gathered at the hospital's main entrance.
In a rare and transparent update on the pope's health, he disclosed for the first time that doctors had found a small nodule during the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter's Square. "The doctors thought it best to deal with it, so following their advice, I decided to have surgery to remove it," he said in Italian.
Latin America trip
The pope has no history of serious illness and is considered to be in good physical condition, regularly swimming and playing tennis.
The surgery comes ahead of an official trip to Latin America planned for November 6–17, with stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It is not yet clear whether his recovery will affect this ambitious schedule, which includes dozens of flights, two helicopter rides and significant altitude changes in Peru.
On Sunday, the pope told reporters he intended to make the trip.
