Pope Leo XIV spent a quiet night in hospital after a successful surgery that resulted in the removal of part of his right lung and a confirmed cancer diagnosis, the Vatican announced Wednesday.
Further information would follow later today.
The 71-year-old American pontiff was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a type of non-small cell lung cancer that accounts for 80% of all cases, according to the American Lung Association.
The 90-minute operation to remove a malignant lung nodule was completed “successfully, on time and as planned,” the Vatican said Tuesday. Leo remained in the operating room for nearly three hours, according to the release.
The Vatican has not provided details about the planned treatment or whether the cancer has spread.
The initial lump was detected during a routine check, the Vatican said. The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics took the rare step of revealing the health problem – the first of his pontificate – during his Sunday lunchtime prayer.
Leo greeted the crowd outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital as it entered Tuesday.
The procedure was led by Dr. Stefano Margaritora, Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, while medical staff recited the rosary in the hospital chapel at the start of the operation.
The operation involved removing the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung using a “video-assisted technique”, according to the Vatican.
After his operation, the pontiff “woke up normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the tenth floor,” the Vatican said. The room is next to the usual papal apartment, with a private chapel, currently under renovation.
This type of cancer affects both smokers and non-smokers, even if Leo has never been a smoker.
A cancer diagnosis could complicate her busy schedule.
Weeks earlier, hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of Paris for an open-air mass during a visit during which Leo warned of the risks of artificial intelligence.
He planned to make a historic two-week visit to South America next month, although it is unclear whether that will go ahead.
Messages of support and sympathy flooded in after this news.
“We thank God that Pope Leo’s surgery was, by all accounts, successful and that he continues his recovery,” New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks said in a statement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he and his wife, Jeanette Rubio, were praying for the pope, who was born in Chicago.
“May the Lord give him strength and may the Holy Spirit guide the medical professionals who care for the Holy Father,” Rubio said on X.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose role is largely ceremonial, wished Leo a speedy and full recovery, the German Catholic news agency KNA reported.
“The pope’s voice on the current issues and challenges of our time is particularly important and valuable for many people around the world, including in Germany, across confessional borders,” Steinmeier was quoted as saying.
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