Vatican confirms Pope’s lung cancer diagnosis

Pope Leo XIV underwent thoracic surgery as scheduled.

To ensure the procedure was radical, the lower lobe of his right lung was removed using a video-assisted surgical technique, CE Report quotes ANSA.

A rapid histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected based on preoperative tests, according to a medical bulletin released by the Vatican Press Office.

“The Holy Father spent approximately three hours in the operating room, while the surgery itself lasted around 90 minutes. The operation was successful, and there were no complications. After the procedure, the Pope woke up normally and returned to his room on the 10th floor following a brief period of observation,” the bulletin continued.

The surgical team was led by Professor Stefano Margaritora, assisted by Professor Elisa Meacci, Dr. Maria Teresa Congedo, and Dr. Leonardo Petracca Caravella. The anesthesia team consisted of Professor Massimo Antonelli, Dr. Giovanni Punzo, and Dr. Giuseppe Bello.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago on September 14, 1955, was elected the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025, becoming the first American pontiff. Before his election, he served as a missionary in Peru and later as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops.

On October 11, 2026, he announced that doctors had discovered a small, localized nodule in his lung and recommended surgery. He underwent the procedure at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on October 13. The Vatican confirmed that the operation was successful and that a histological examination identified the growth as lung adenocarcinoma.

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