Pope Leo Diagnosed with Cancer

The Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer after part of his right lung was surgically removed.

According to Ambassador Arjan of NBC News, according to the Vatican, the 71-year-old Pope has been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, which is a common type of lung cancer, and histological tests have confirmed the doctors' initial diagnosis.

According to Ambassador Arjan, Pope Leo was admitted to "Jemli" hospital in Rome for the surgery of the mass that the doctors had discovered in the recent examinations.

The Vatican announced earlier on Tuesday that the surgery was a success and later provided more details, citing the pope's chief surgeon and personal physician.

The medical report states: In order to ensure complete healing, the lower part of the right lung was removed using video surgery. The report stated that the goal was to remove all cancerous tissue.

Medical experts stated that to evaluate the condition of the pap, it is necessary to know the size of the tumor removed and whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or not.

Pope Leo is scheduled to make an 11-day trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru (from November 6 to 17), but it is not clear whether the trip will continue. The Vatican has canceled all his public visits until October 21 to give him time to recover.

The American-born religious leader had announced during a regular Sunday prayer service on October 11 that doctors had discovered the mass.

Pope Francis, the former leader of the world Catholics, was hospitalized several times in the last years of his life. He died in April 2025 at the age of 88.

Pope Leo was elected in May 2025 as the leader of the 1.4 billion Roman Catholics worldwide.