Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1358 EAT on Wednesday 14 October 2026
Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing successful surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican has said in a medical bulletin.
The 71-year-old pontiff underwent a 90-minute operation at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday and was subsequently diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma.
“The operation was successful and there were no complications,” the Vatican said. “After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned, after a brief period of observation, to his room.”
The Vatican said on Wednesday morning that the pontiff had spent a “peaceful night” in hospital, where he is expected to remain for about a week.
The lung lump was first detected during what the Vatican described as “routine checks”.
Earlier, large crowds gathered outside the hospital, waiting for hours for news about the Pope.
Crowds cheered and offered well wishes as the Pope passed by, waving and smiling back through the lowered rear window of his car.
He was then welcomed by hospital staff at the entrance. “I’m sorry,” one staff member told him sympathetically, prompting the Pope to smile and shrug. “We’re here for you,” another assured him.
In its statement, the Vatican said the entire lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung had been removed “to ensure the procedure was radical”.
A Vatican source told AFP that further tests were being conducted to determine whether the cancer had spread.
Pope Leo XIV announced his planned surgery on Sunday while addressing worshippers from the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square after delivering the traditional Angelus blessing.
He said the lung nodule, or growth, was “contained” and had been detected “at a very early stage”, but doctors had advised him to have it removed.
The Pope was operated on by the thoracic surgery team at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. His schedule has been cleared until 20 October to allow him time to recover.
Lung nodules are relatively common and are not necessarily cancerous. However, after examining the growth, the medical team confirmed it was pulmonary adenocarcinoma, “as suspected by pre-operative tests”, the Vatican said.
The Vatican has emphasised that the pontiff, who is generally considered to be in good health, had shown no symptoms of infection or illness.
Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo said on social media that he had met Pope Leo on Monday and that the pontiff felt “nothing wrong” physically.
He added that the Pope had opted to undergo surgery as soon as possible because he was scheduled to travel to Latin America in early November and was keen to proceed with the trip as planned.
The visit is particularly significant because it includes a stop in Peru, where Pope Leo spent many years as a missionary before serving as a bishop.
Despite reassurances about the Pope’s recovery, the news has left Catholics around the world shaken.
“Am I worried? Yes, because I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like this,” Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told journalists on Tuesday.
Describing the news as a “bolt from the blue”, Parolin said the cardinals had been struck by the Pope’s “serenity” and remained confident in his recovery.
Outside Gemelli Hospital, which has treated several popes and features a large statue of Pope John Paul II, a few Catholics gathered following the pontiff’s admission.
Carla, who had made a special trip to the hospital to be close to the Pope, said his calm demeanour had helped reassure her.
“He seems calm, so we are calm too — even though illness is always unpleasant,” she told the BBC. “We will wait here and pray.”
Another Catholic, Elsa, said she had been taken aback by the announcement.
“I was in St Peter’s Square when he made the announcement, and I felt really awful,” she said.
Elsa explained that when Pope Leo was elected, she had expected a younger and healthier pontiff, making the news particularly surprising.
Elise Ann Allen, who authored a biography of Pope Leo, has cautioned against both alarm and premature optimism over the pontiff’s health, saying it was too early to draw conclusions.
“It would be premature to be alarmed, but it’s also premature to say everything’s fine,” Allen told the BBC.
Speaking on the World Service’s Newsday programme, she urged the public to wait for further medical updates.
“We really have to wait and see what the doctors say in the coming days,” she said.
Allen added that the severity of the situation remained unclear, describing it as “certainly a scare”. She also suggested that the experience could result in “a more determined Pope”.
Meanwhile, following the announcement of Pope Leo’s diagnosis, it emerged that his brother, Louis Prevost, was also undergoing treatment for a different form of cancer.
Prevost is receiving treatment for multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, in the United States, his wife told the BBC’s partner, CBS News.
However, she did not disclose the stage of the disease.
Meanwhile, in Chiclayo, a city in northern Peru where Robert Prevost served as bishop for eight years before becoming Pope Leo XIV, residents are praying for the pontiff’s speedy recovery.
Chiclayo is expected to be among the most emotional stops on the Pope’s planned tour of Latin America in November. The pontiff, who holds Peruvian citizenship, has strong ties to the city.
Officials had announced a day before the Pope disclosed that he would undergo surgery that they expected 1.5 million people to travel to Chiclayo and the surrounding area to witness his return.
“God willing, we will have him here, because these preparations have been going on for several months — not just on a practical level, but also on a spiritual one,” a retired journalist told AFP.
-BBC
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