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Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma and underwent surgery in Rome to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said. The 71-year-old pontiff was resting in his room at Gemelli hospital after the procedure, which doctors said was successful and free of complications.

The Vatican said tissue tests performed during Tuesday’s operation confirmed concerns raised by examinations carried out before surgery. Leo had been admitted to the hospital after a growth was found during a recent routine health check.

Dr Stefano Margaritora, the pope’s lead surgeon, and his personal physician, Dr Luigi Carbone, said the operation took about 90 minutes. “In order to make the procedure curative, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” they said.

The right lung has three lobes, while the left has two. The doctors’ statement indicated that the procedure was intended to remove all cancerous tissue.

Details needed to determine the cancer’s stage, including the size of the tumour and whether it has spread to lymph nodes, were not immediately released by the Vatican.

Dr Stephen Liu, a lung cancer specialist at Georgetown University in Washington and division chief of hematology-oncology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, told Reuters that staging would be central to assessing the pope’s outlook and any further treatment.

“While we have the diagnosis, we do not yet have the stage. This is critical to prognosis and treatment,” Liu said. “If this is a small lung cancer with no lymph nodes involved, surgery itself is likely to be curative. But if final analysis reveals a greater extent of cancer involvement, this indicates a poorer prognosis.”

Hospital stay and cancelled events

According to the Vatican’s medical bulletin, Leo regained consciousness normally after the operation and was later taken back to his hospital room to rest. Earlier this week, the Vatican said he was expected to remain in hospital for around a week.

All of the pope’s public engagements have been cancelled until October 20. It was not immediately clear whether an 11-day visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for November 6 to 17, would proceed.

Before entering Gemelli hospital shortly before 1pm in Rome, Leo left the Vatican in a black SUV and waved from the rear of the vehicle as his convoy travelled about 9 km north to the hospital. On arrival, he shook hands with several officials, walked past well-wishers gathered outside and entered through the main entrance. Some in the crowd called out “Auguri,” or best wishes.

Leo had spoken in a firm, clear voice at his only public event on Monday. Elected by cardinals in May 2025, he is relatively young for a pope, enjoys sports including tennis, and is not known to smoke or to have had recent health problems.

Role of the pope

As head of the Catholic Church, Leo is the ultimate earthly authority for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. There is no deputy who takes over the papacy during an illness. Vatican departments continue their routine work if a pope is incapacitated, while decisions that need papal approval are held back.

His predecessor, Pope Francis, was admitted to hospital several times as his health declined in later life. Francis died in April 2025 at the age of 88.

Earlier illness in Peru

Leo was born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955. Before becoming pope, he spent decades in Peru as a missionary and bishop. In 1985, while serving as a young priest in Chulucanas, he was hospitalised with typhoid fever.

In his only major interview as pope, published in a book for Penguin Peru, Leo recalled asking God to let him die because the pain was so severe. He said he understood his survival as a sign from God: “We need you here (on Earth).”

“I never looked back,” Leo said.