Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery

Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with pulmonary adenocarcinoma following surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung on Tuesday. The Holy See reported that the 90-minute video-assisted procedure was successful and occurred without complications, though the pope remained in the operating room for approximately three hours.

During an Angelus prayer on Oct. 11, the pope stated that a lung nodule had been detected at a very early, well-localized stage. Dr. Luis Ráez, a medical director at the Memorial Cancer Institute in Florida who is not treating the pope, told EWTN News that adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung tumor. Dr. Ráez noted that while lung cancers can be aggressive, the prognosis depends on the size of the tumor and how far it has spread.