Pope Leo XIV Has Lung Cancer, Vatican Says, After Surgery to Remove Part of Right Lung
Pope Leo XIV lung cancer was confirmed on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, when the Vatican announced that surgeons at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital had removed the lower lobe of his right lung. A medical bulletin said tissue examined during the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, a diagnosis doctors had already suspected from earlier tests.
The Vatican described the operation as successful and free of complications. It lasted about 90 minutes. The 71-year-old pontiff woke normally, spent a short time under observation and was moved to his room on the hospital’s tenth floor. On Wednesday morning, the Vatican said he had passed a peaceful night.
Pope Leo XIV lung cancer: what the Vatican confirmed about the operation
The procedure was carried out by a thoracic surgery ...