Pope Leo had a lower lobe of his right lung removed during surgery on Tuesday and was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, according to a Vatican medical bulletin. The surgery was successful and the 71-year-old pontiff is expected to spend about a week in hospital recovering.

Vatican confirms successful procedure

The pope arrived at Rome's Gemelli hospital on Tuesday for the operation, after the Vatican said he was expected to leave the Vatican late that morning, without specifying when the surgery would take place.

Once the operation was over, the Vatican press office announced the outcome on Telegram.

Diagnosis confirmed during operation

According to the bulletin, tissue tests conducted during the operation confirmed what doctors had suspected from preparatory examinations.

The pope had addressed the finding himself two days earlier:

• •On Sunday, Leo said a small nodule had been found during a check-up
• •He described it as "well-contained" and said it had been spotted early

First major health scare of his tenure

The surgery is the first major health issue of Leo's 17-month tenure. He was elected by the world's cardinals in May 2025 and is not known to be a smoker or to have had health issues previously.

He spoke in a firm, clear voice at his only public event on Monday and keeps a very busy schedule.

What comes next

The recovery is expected to take about a week in hospital. Until then:

• •All the pope's public events have been cancelled until October 20
• •He is due to make an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17
• •On Sunday, Leo pledged to go forward with the trip