Vatican says Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung

What happened

Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer, the Vatican said Tuesday, Oct. 13, after surgeons at Rome's Agostino Gemelli University Hospital removed the lower lobe of his right lung. ABC News and NPR reported that a statement from the pope's doctors, released through the Holy See Press Office, confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.

The 71-year-old pontiff, a Chicago native and the first American pope, disclosed the nodule during his Sunday noon prayer, CBS News reported. CBS described it as the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy. We covered the Vatican's plans for the lung surgery earlier this week.

What the doctors reported

The procedure

According to the release cited by ABC News, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Prof. Stefano Margaritora said the pope had a minimally invasive, camera-guided procedure. He spent about three hours in the operating room, and the surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. "The surgery was successful, and there were no complications," the release said, according to ABC. NPR reported that Leo woke normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the hospital's 10th floor.

The diagnosis

The release said a tissue exam during the operation "confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the preoperative tests," ABC reported. ABC explained that in this kind of evaluation, a pathologist quickly freezes, slices and analyzes a sample while the patient is still on the operating table. Leo had said Sunday that the nodule was found in "a very initial phase" and was "well localized," according to ABC.

About this type of cancer

Adenocarcinoma accounts for about 40% of lung cancers, according to figures cited by ABC from the National Cancer Institute and by NPR from the Lung Cancer Foundation of America. ABC reported that it is found on the outer part of the lungs and, because it grows more slowly, is more likely than other lung cancers to be found before it spreads. Before the diagnosis was announced, oncologists told CBS News that Leo's prognosis would be "excellent" even if the nodule proved cancerous, because it was being removed at an early stage.

Recovery, schedule and travel plans

The Vatican said Sunday that his hospital recovery was expected to last about a week, ABC reported. All of Leo's audiences through Oct. 20 were canceled, according to CBS, and NPR reported the Vatican has yet to announce any further treatments.

The surgery comes weeks before a planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru at the beginning of November, CBS reported. The itinerary is the longest of his papacy so far, calling for just over 19,000 miles on a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, plus a significant altitude change in Peru. CBS noted that doctors typically suggest about three weeks of recovery without flying, which gives Leo just the time needed before the trip. Tokyo Cardinal Kikuchi Tsutomu, who saw Leo on Monday, said the pope chose surgery soon "in order to not change his plans for future overseas trips," according to CBS.

Family history and reaction

NPR reported that Leo has not been known to smoke but that there is a history of cancer in his family. The Vatican announced Tuesday that his older brother Louis, who lives in Florida, is hospitalized with a form of cancer, and his mother, Mildred, died of cancer in 1990 at age 77. NPR also noted that Leo works out weekly, plays regular tennis matches with his personal secretary and rides horses at Castel Gandolfo.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, said he was "struck by his serenity" during Sunday's announcement, according to Vatican media cited by ABC. CBS reported that medical staff recited the Rosary in the hospital chapel Tuesday evening as the operation got underway. Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Vicar of Rome, spoke at the start of the prayer, asking the Lord to sustain the pope, according to CBS.

Leo, previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected the church's 267th pontiff in May 2025, ABC reported. Gemelli is the hospital commonly used by popes, including his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died in 2025 at 88.

What to watch next

• Further medical updates from the Holy See Press Office, which has not yet announced any additional treatment, according to NPR.
• Leo's hospital recovery, which the Vatican said was expected to last about a week.
• Whether his public schedule resumes after Oct. 20, the date through which his audiences were canceled.
• The planned November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the longest of his papacy to date.