Pope Leo XIV spent a peaceful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his lung, the Vatican said Wednesday, with further test results set to decide what treatment he needs next.
The 71-year-old pontiff, the first American-born pope, was elected in May 2025 and revealed the health problem himself on Sunday, telling the crowd at his Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square that routine checks had found a nodule on his lung. He said it had been caught at a very early stage and was well contained, and that doctors had advised him to have it removed — a rare act of transparency for the Vatican, and the first publicly disclosed health issue of his 17-month papacy. He entered Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
A team led by the hospital's chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, removed the lower lobe of the pope's right lung using a video-assisted technique. The operation lasted about 90 minutes, and tissue examined during the procedure confirmed the diagnosis: lung adenocarcinoma, a form of non-small cell lung cancer. Leo woke up as expected and returned to his room on the hospital's 10th floor.
“The surgery was successful, completed on schedule and as planned, and the Holy Father has returned to his room.”
The Vatican has not disclosed the cancer's stage or whether it has spread, and said doctors are not currently discussing chemotherapy or other therapies while they wait for the results of further tests. While the pope was in surgery, the hospital chapel filled with the faithful and Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general of Rome, led a rosary for his healing; members of the medical staff recited the rosary themselves as the operation began.
Leo is expected to remain at Gemelli, the hospital that also treated his predecessor, Pope Francis, for about a week of recovery. The Vatican has canceled all of his scheduled audiences through October 20, and a planned trip to South America set to begin November 6 has not been officially changed. The Vatican said more information on his condition would follow later on Wednesday.
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