Pope Leo XIV blessing a crowd at Montserrat in June 2026, months before his lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV Has Lung Cancer, Vatican Announces After Surgery

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Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer, the Vatican said late Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, after surgeons at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The 71-year-old pontiff, the first pope born in the United States, came through the roughly 90-minute operation without complications, according to a medical bulletin released by the Holy See Press Office.

Key facts: Pope Leo’s diagnosis and surgery

  • Diagnosis: Lung adenocarcinoma, a common type of lung cancer. The Vatican said an examination during surgery confirmed what preoperative tests had suggested.
  • Surgery: Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, at the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of the right lung using a video-assisted technique.
  • Duration: About three hours in the operating room, with the procedure itself lasting about 90 minutes.
  • Condition: The Vatican said the surgery was successful, with no complications, and the pope returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor.
  • Schedule: All papal audiences are canceled through Oct. 20. The Vatican has not announced a change to the planned hospital stay of about one week.
  • Next steps: Further tests on the removed tissue will be carried out in the coming days. The Vatican has not issued a prognosis.

What the Vatican statement said

The bulletin was based on a statement from the pope’s personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and Professor Stefano Margaritora, director of thoracic surgery at Gemelli, according to Vatican News and Catholic News Service.

“To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” the doctors said, as published by Vatican News. “An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations.”

“The Holy Father was in the operating room for about three hours; the surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the Vatican press office said, according to Catholic News Service.

The bulletin also said the pope “awoke normally” and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room, the BBC reported. Vatican News said the Holy See Press Office was expected to provide an update Wednesday morning on how the pope spent the night and on any test results.

Timeline: from the Angelus to the operating room

  • Sunday, Oct. 11: After the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo announced that doctors had found “a small, localized nodule” in his lung. “It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized,” he said, adding that he had decided to follow his doctors’ advice to have it removed. “I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.”
  • Oct. 11: Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, asked Americans to pray for the pope and his care team.
  • Tuesday, Oct. 13: The pope arrived at Gemelli, waving to well-wishers, according to AP. The Vatican said the thoracic team would be led by Margaritora.
  • Tuesday evening: The Vatican first said the procedure had gone as planned, then released the medical bulletin confirming the cancer diagnosis.

The BBC reported that the Vatican stressed the pope, generally regarded as fit, had shown no symptoms of illness, and that he chose to have the operation quickly because he is scheduled to travel to Latin America in early November. The Vatican has not announced any change to that trip.

Background: who is Pope Leo XIV?

Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955. A member of the Order of St. Augustine, he spent many years as a missionary in Peru and later served as bishop of Chiclayo. He led the Vatican office that oversees the selection of bishops before the College of Cardinals elected him pope on May 8, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis. He is the first pope from the United States.

Gemelli Hospital has long treated popes. Pope Francis was hospitalized there for several weeks in 2025, and Pope John Paul II was treated there many times. For more international coverage, see our World News section.

Boston angle: Archdiocese asks for prayers

Boston Archbishop Richard Henning, who received the pallium from Pope Leo at the Vatican in June 2025, asked local Catholics to pray for the pope, according to The Boston Globe and WCVB.

“Today, as we learn of the Holy Father’s diagnosis, I invite all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Boston to unite with me in prayer for Pope Leo,” Henning said. “As he continues his recovery from surgery, may the Lord grant him strength, peace, and healing. Through the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may he be sustained in body and spirit and strengthened in his ministry to the Church throughout the world.”

Reactions

Catholics prayed the rosary for the pope Tuesday evening in Gemelli’s chapel, in a service led by Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, the papal vicar of Rome, Catholic News Service reported. Vatican News reported that Masses were held for him in several countries, including at St. Mary of the Angels Church in his hometown of Chicago and at the cathedral of his former diocese in Chiclayo, Peru.

In his Oct. 11 statement, Coakley said: “The bishops of the United States join with the faithful and all people of good will in praying for his good health.”

The Boston Report will update this story as the Holy See Press Office releases new information.

Photo: Pope Leo XIV blesses the crowd at Montserrat, June 10, 2026. Credit: Sergio López Prieto / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.

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