Pope Leo XIV Undergoes Lung Surgery After Walking Into Rome's Gemelli Hospital
Pope Leo XIV walked into Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday accompanied by his two secretaries and personal physician, then underwent surgery to remove a lung nodule. The Vatican later confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma and said the procedure was successful.
Pope Leo XIV walked into Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon accompanied by his two secretaries and his personal physician, then underwent surgery to remove a nodule from his lung. The Vatican later confirmed that the 71-year-old pontiff has lung cancer and that surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung using video-assisted surgery.
The pope left the Vatican through the Porta del Perugino shortly after midday, greeting journalists and well-wishers gathered outside before arriving at the Gemelli Polyclinic at 1:09 p.m. He entered the hospital on foot and calmly, accompanied by his secretaries — the Peruvian Edgard Rimaycuna and the Italian Marco Billeri — as well as Dr. Luigi Carbone, who coordinates the medical team that attends to him and travels with him. At the hospital, Carbone introduced the pope to part of the medical team and hospital leaders before the pontiff made his way inside, also accompanied by several agents of the Vatican Gendarmerie.
The operation was led by Stefano Margaritora, a 66-year-old thoracic surgeon who has performed thousands of procedures and has directed the Gemelli's thoracic surgery service for a decade. According to the Holy See press office, the surgery lasted 90 minutes and concluded successfully without complications. An extemporaneous histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as had been suspected in preoperative tests. The pope has returned to his room.
The Vatican said the nodule had been detected during a routine medical check and was found at a very early stage and well localized. Leo XIV announced on Sunday after the traditional Angelus prayer that he would undergo surgery to remove it. During his hospitalization, the pope will not occupy the apartment usually reserved for pontiffs, which is undergoing renovation work, but another nearby area on the tenth floor of the hospital.
All papal audiences have been canceled until October 20 to allow for the operation and subsequent recovery. As with previous surgeries undergone by Pope Francis, the Vatican will issue a medical bulletin after the intervention.
While the surgery was underway, faithful, religious men and women gathered in the hospital chapel to pray for the pope's health. The rosary was led by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of Rome, and was attended by some of the pontiff's collaborators. The prayer was broadcast by Vatican media, and prayers were also convened in churches in various parts of the world.
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