Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery earlier this week, which led to a diagnosis of lung cancer on Tuesday. At a recent health checkup, doctors had discovered a small nodule in the 71-year-old pontiff’s lung, known as adenocarcinoma. It is a common form of non-small-cell lung cancer and was removed by cutting it out. The Vatican also released a statement saying the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung was removed, but that he experienced no complications from the procedure and returned to his room. It is the first significant medical procedure of the pope’s tenure.
“You can heal from a lung tumor,” Dr. Lorenzo Spaggiari, a thoracic surgical oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, told the New York Times. Spaggiari, who is not part of the pope’s medical team, also said one of his patients ran the New York Marathon after having a lung removed. “The important thing is to catch it [at] an initial stage,” he said.
Start your day with essential news from Salon.
Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.
Leo was elected as head of the Roman Catholic Church in May 2025, the first American to hold the role. In that short time, members of the Trump administration have repeatedly clashed with the pope, with President Donald Trump once accusing him of being “soft on crime.” Leo has been outspoken about Trump’s war against Iran and immigration policy, urging Catholics to “welcome the stranger.”
