Pope Leo recovering after lung cancer operation

ROME, Italy — Pope Leo XIV was recovering in Rome's Gemelli hospital on Wednesday after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung.

Part of the pope's lung was removed in the operation and the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics is awaiting the results of tests to determine if the cancer has spread.

The sporty 71-year-old, who was only elected last year, made the surprise announcement that he would be undergoing surgery after Sunday prayers.

He underwent the 90-minute operation on Tuesday, after which the Vatican said he "woke up normally".

"The surgery was successful and there were no complications," the Vatican said in a statement.

Experts said much would depend on how advanced the cancer found was, and whether it had spread, but the Vatican has said it was detected early and was localised which is important in these cases.

"When caught in early stages, then it has a very very good prognosis, which is what we're hoping and praying for with Pope Leo," Juanita Mora, medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, told AFP.

The Vatican has said it expects the recovery to take around a week and all the pope's audiences have been cancelled until October 20.

Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the dean of the college of cardinals, is due to celebrate an important mass in St Peter's Basilica on Wednesday which was to have been held by the pope.

The surgery has raised questions about whether the US pontiff will go ahead with a lengthy visit next month to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he worked as a missionary for two decades.

The surgery marks Leo's first hospitalisation since he became pope on May 8, 2025.

The Vatican has historically been very secretive about the health of popes, but began to be more transparent during the illness of Leo's predecessor Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed his ailments.

Leo waved to well-wishers and journalists as he left the Vatican by car and smiled and waved to crowds waiting at the Gemelli hospital, before walking into the hospital on Tuesday.

In the hospital chapel, dozens of faithful prayed for the pope's health during the operation.