Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery, Vatican says

Update (13 Oct 2026): The Vatican says Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer, after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung. Earlier reports had not said whether the nodule was malignant.

Pope Leo XIV, 71, has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer, according to a Vatican medical bulletin. The diagnosis followed surgery on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, at Rome's Gemelli hospital, in which the lower lobe of his right lung was removed. According to the Vatican, pre-operative tests had suggested the diagnosis, and tissue tests during surgery confirmed it. A Vatican statement quoted by the BBC said the diagnosis was "as suspected by pre-operative tests" and that the whole lower lobe was removed "to ensure the procedure was radical".

The Vatican said the surgery was successful and that the Pope had returned to his room afterwards. "The procedure was completed successfully, within the expected timeframe and as planned," the Vatican said in a statement quoted by Deutsche Welle. A Vatican statement quoted by The Hindu said: "The surgery was successful, and there were no complications." According to a statement quoted by the BBC, "After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room on the 10th floor."

According to the BBC, a Vatican source told Agence France-Presse that further tests were being carried out to see whether there was any sign the cancer had spread.

According to the Vatican, the nodule was found during routine checks. Gemelli's thoracic surgery team operated, led by Stefano Margaritora, the hospital's chief of thoracic surgery. The operation itself lasted about 90 minutes. The Guardian and The Hindu report that the Pope was in the operating theatre for about three hours in total. SCMP reports that the Vatican issued an earlier statement that the surgery had been successful, followed by a more detailed update from Margaritora.

The Pope is staying on the hospital's 10th floor but not in the papal suite, which is being renovated. The Hindu attributes this to the Vatican press office. His appointments have been cancelled until 20 October; outlets describe this variously as his schedule being cleared or as the cancellation of all appointments, all public events or all audiences. The Vatican expects his recovery to take about one week. France 24 reports that he is expected to spend a week in hospital. The Guardian reports that Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, elected dean of the College of Cardinals last week, will lead Wednesday's weekly papal audience.

The Pope disclosed the nodule himself on Sunday after the Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square. He said it had been found during a check-up and detected early, and that he would have it removed on his doctors' advice. Fox News quoted him as saying: "Doctors found a small lump in the lung," and "It was identified at a very early stage and well situated." The Guardian quoted him as saying: "The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it."

Leo was elected in May 2025 and is the first US-born pope. According to Reuters and Daily Sabah, this is the first major publicly disclosed health issue of his papacy. According to France 24, which credits Reuters, the Pope is not known to be a smoker or to have had previous health issues. He is scheduled to travel to South America in November, including Peru. Fox News, Daily Sabah and France 24 give the dates as 6–17 November, with stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. A crowd gathered outside the hospital to greet the Pope on his arrival on Tuesday.

Further reported details

The BBC reported that the Vatican stressed he had no symptoms of infection or illness. France 24 reports that in his Sunday address the Pope pledged to go ahead with the November trip.

What is disputed

• Duration of surgery: Before the diagnosis was announced, Deutsche Welle alone reported that the surgery lasted about seven hours. Later reports say the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes, and The Guardian and The Hindu say the Pope was in the operating theatre for about three hours in total.
• Day of the announcement: Sunday, according to the BBC, The Guardian, France 24, The Hindu, DW and Daily Sabah. Fox News says Monday but also refers to his "Sunday remarks".
• Start time: The BBC and Reuters say Tuesday afternoon. Daily Sabah says the operation began on Tuesday evening.
• Crowd size: The BBC and The Guardian describe a large crowd or large crowds. Daily Sabah and The Hindu report dozens of well-wishers.
• November trip length: The Guardian describes a 12-day trip covering 10 cities. France 24 describes an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November.
• Whether the trip will go ahead: Before the diagnosis, DW said the Pope was still likely to travel, while Fox News said this remained unclear. The reports do not include any post-diagnosis Vatican statement on the trip.

What each side says

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, told journalists on Tuesday, according to the BBC: "Am I worried? Yes, because I certainly wasn't expecting anything like this." He told Rai News, according to The Guardian: "We spoke with great serenity. He is truly a great example. The announcement came like a bolt out of the blue, nobody expected it. Thank God it was detected immediately, so the operation could take place immediately. Normally, when these things are caught in time, they can be resolved." He has said he is confident in the Pope's recovery.

Daily Sabah quoted Cardinal Kikuchi of Tokyo as saying the situation "is not an emergency." The BBC, which gives his name as Cardinal Kikuchi Tarcisio Isao, reports that he wrote on social media that the Pope felt nothing wrong physically at an audience on Monday, and that the Pope chose surgery as soon as possible so he could keep his early-November trip to Latin America.

Before the diagnosis was announced, oncologists cited by DW and Daily Sabah, who were not named, said the prognosis would be excellent if the nodule proved malignant, because it was caught early. Dr Lorenzo Spaggiari of the European Institute of Oncology, who is not involved in the Pope's care, was quoted by Daily Sabah as saying: "These are things that can be treated very well, if the words he used reflect the clinical situation." Dr Federico Venuto, chief of thoracic surgery at Rome's Policlinico Umberto I, told Reuters that procedures to remove lung nodules are usually minimally invasive and that "The complication rate is extremely low," according to France 24.

The reports do not specify the surgical technique used. They do not include the cancer's stage, the results of the further tests on whether it has spread, whether any further treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy is planned, or the full text of the medical bulletin.

Analysis

The Vatican's confirmation of lung adenocarcinoma answers the question left open by earlier reports, but key clinical details remain unknown. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not give the cancer's stage, and, according to the BBC citing an AFP report, further tests are under way to see whether it has spread. They also do not say whether further treatment is planned. The Vatican says the operation was successful, and a statement quoted by The Hindu said there were no complications. Before the diagnosis, oncologists cited by DW and Daily Sabah said the prognosis would be excellent if the nodule proved malignant, because it was caught early; Parolin has also pointed to early detection. One scenario is a recovery within the stated week and the November trip going ahead, as the Pope pledged on Sunday according to France 24. Another is a revised schedule if the further test results or recovery require it. The reports include no post-diagnosis Vatican statement on the trip, so further Vatican updates will likely determine which applies.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.