The Vatican made a shocking announcement Tuesday after Pope Leo XIV underwent a planned surgery to remove a small nodule on one of his lungs. He ended up having to have the lower lobe of his right lung removed during the surgery, and the 71-year-old pontiff has now been diagnosed with lung cancer.
The pope checked into Rome's Agostino Gemelli University Hospital earlier Tuesday and was seen waving to well wishers on his way in. The Vatican press office said in a statement at the time, "As announced, Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital."
"This afternoon," the statement continued,"[the pope] will undergo surgery for a lung nodule performed by the thoracic surgery team led by Professor Stefano Margaritora."
At the conclusion of what seemed to be a fairly routine surgery, the Vatican said that "the procedure was successfully completed, on schedule and as planned, adding "the Holy Father has returned to his room."
Three hours later, however, they updated their previous statements to announce the new diagnosis: lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer. It has emerged that doctors suspected the nodule could be cancer, and additional testing, including examination of lymph nodes, will be done to determine if the cancer has spread and whether Leo will require additional treatment.
POPE LATEST: • The lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique. The intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from pre-operative tests. • The Holy Father was in the operating room for approximately 3 hours; the duration of the surgery was about 90 minutes. • The operation was successful, and there were no complications. After the surgery, the Pope awoke normally and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the 10th floor.
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) October 13, 2026
POPE LATEST:
• The lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique. The intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from pre-operative tests.
• The Holy Father was in the operating room for approximately 3 hours; the duration of the surgery was about 90 minutes.
• The operation was successful, and there were no complications.
After the surgery, the Pope awoke normally and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the 10th floor.
Pope Leo told his flock at Sunday's Angelus Mass that doctors had discovered a “localized nodule” in his lung during a recent medical examination and stressed that it had been found at a “very early stage” and was “well-localized.” He also asked the faithful around the world to pray for him ahead of the operation.
All of the pope's public audiences have been canceled through at least October 20 while he recovers from the operation and undergoes further testing.
For now, though, the most encouraging part of the Vatican's announcement is the exact same thing Leo himself emphasized on Sunday: the cancer appears to have been discovered early.
This is a breaking story. RedState will provide updates as more details about Pope Leo's condition become available.