Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after an operation at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday, October 13. The Holy See Press Office confirmed that tissue examined during surgery showed lung adenocarcinoma.
The 71-year-old, Chicago-born pope is about 17 months into his papacy. His official biography records his election on May 8, 2025, when he became the first pope from the United States.
Two days before the operation, Leo had personally announced the discovery of a small lung nodule during his Sunday Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square. He described it as well-localized and detected very early, and explained that he had accepted his doctors’ advice to have it removed.
“I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers,” he said. Tuesday’s operation was successful and had no complications, his doctors reported, though further examinations of the removed tissue are still ahead.
Inside the Hospital
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Surgeons removed the entire lower lobe of Leo’s right lung using a video-assisted technique. Tests before the operation had already raised suspicion of adenocarcinoma; examining tissue during the procedure confirmed it.
The right lung has three lobes, and removing a whole lobe is called a lobectomy, the National Cancer Institute explains. That describes the extent of the operation, rather than removal of the entire lung.
Leo spent approximately three hours in the operating room, including about 90 minutes for the surgery itself. After waking normally and undergoing a brief period of observation, he returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor.
The medical bulletin does not specify the cancer’s stage, whether it has spread, or whether additional treatment will be necessary.
The Coming Days
Following the operation, Leo asked for dinner and spent the evening with his secretaries and other Vatican staff, Vatican News reported, citing press office director Matteo Bruni.
Postoperative examinations of the removed tissue will take place in the coming days. The previously announced hospital stay of one week remained unchanged in that update.
His published November itinerary lists a November 6–17 journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, with Masses, meetings and multiple flights between cities. Before announcing the surgery on Sunday, Leo thanked worshippers for their prayers for the planned visit to Peru, where he served for years as a missionary and later as a bishop.
The Holy See Press Office is expected to provide another medical update Wednesday morning, including how Leo spent the night and any examination results available by then.