Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung cancer after doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in a 90-minute operation on Tuesday, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin.
The 71-year-old pontiff has lung adenocarcinoma, a common type of lung cancer. Tissue tests conducted during the operation confirmed the diagnosis, which doctors had suspected based on preoperative examinations.
Leo was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove a growth detected during a recent health check-up. The Vatican initially announced that the procedure had been successful before releasing further details from the pope’s lead surgeon, Professor Stefano Margaritora, head of thoracic surgery at the hospital.
advertisement
SURGERY SUCCESSFUL, POPE RECOVERING IN HOSPITAL
Margaritora said the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique to make the procedure curative.
A rapid examination of tissue samples during the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, in line with the findings suspected before surgery, the medical bulletin said.
The operation lasted approximately 90 minutes and was completed without complications. The pope woke up normally and was resting in his hospital room, the Vatican said. No further details about his condition were provided in the statement.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTS CANCELLED UNTIL OCTOBER 20
Leo left the Vatican shortly before 1 pm local time on Tuesday and travelled about nine kilometres north to Gemelli Hospital. He was seen waving from the back of a black SUV as his convoy made its way through Rome.
On arriving at the hospital, he shook hands with several officials and walked past a gathering of well-wishers who called out greetings and wishes for his recovery.
The Vatican had said earlier that Leo was expected to remain in hospital for about a week. All his public engagements have been cancelled until October 20.
POPE LEO HAS NO RECENT HEALTH PROBLEMS
Elected by the world’s cardinals in May 2025, Leo is relatively young for a pope. Born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, he spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming the leader of the Catholic Church.
The pontiff enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to be a smoker. He had no widely reported recent health problems before the current episode.
His predecessor, Pope Francis, was hospitalised several times as his health deteriorated in his later years. Francis died aged 88 in April 2025.
Leo maintains a demanding schedule and is due to embark on an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17.
POPE PREVIOUSLY HOSPITALISED WITH TYPHOID FEVER
Leo has spoken about a serious bout of typhoid fever he suffered in 1985 while serving as a young priest in Chulucanas, Peru. He was hospitalised during the illness.
In an interview published in a book by Penguin Peru, the pope recalled experiencing such severe pain that he asked God to let him die rather than continue suffering. He later interpreted his survival as a sign that he still had a purpose on Earth.
“We need you here,” he recalled understanding the message to be. “I never looked back,” Leo said.
The pope is the highest earthly authority in the Catholic Church, which has around 1.4 billion followers worldwide. There is no deputy who automatically assumes his responsibilities when he is ill, although the Vatican’s administrative operations continue during a pope’s incapacity.
– Ends
With inputs from Reuters
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
