Pope Leo Prepares for Surgery to Remove Lung Nodule
Pope Leo XIV is recovering in Rome after undergoing surgery on October 13 to remove part of his lung. The Vatican confirmed that doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung and that a suspicious growth found during medical examinations was cancerous. The 71-year-old pontiff was admitted to Gemelli Hospital ahead of the Tuesday afternoon operation. Medical teams caught the nodule at an early stage, describing it as small, well-localized, and circumscribed. The Vatican expects the pope to spend about a week recovering in the hospital.
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- ✓ Pope Leo XIV is 71 years old.
- ✓ The pope was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on October 13 for scheduled surgery.
- ✓ Doctors removed the lower lobe of Pope Leo's right lung.
- ✓ The Vatican confirmed that the removed growth was cancerous.
What changed
The Vatican confirmed that the removed lung nodule was cancerous and that surgeons extracted the lower lobe of the pope's right lung.
Live updates
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Pope Leo XIV Recovering After Surgery to Remove Lung Tumor
Pope Leo XIV is recovering in Rome after undergoing surgery on October 13 to remove part of his lung. The Vatican confirmed that doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung and that a suspicious growth found during medical examinations was cancerous. The 71-year-old pontiff was admitted to Gemelli Hospital ahead of the Tuesday afternoon operation. Medical teams caught the nodule at an early stage, describing it as small, well-localized, and circumscribed. The Vatican expects the pope to spend about a week recovering in the hospital.
Why it matters
Pope Leo XIV underwent the scheduled procedure at Gemelli Hospital in Rome following early medical detection of the growth. Vatican officials announced the successful removal of the cancerous lung tissue and the lower lobe after the operation concluded. Hospitalizations of reigning pontiffs consistently draw intense global scrutiny regarding papal health and governance continuity.
What is confirmed
- Pope Leo XIV is 71 years old.
- The pope was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on October 13 for scheduled surgery.
- Doctors removed the lower lobe of Pope Leo's right lung.
- The Vatican confirmed that the removed growth was cancerous.
- The Vatican expects Leo's recovery time from the surgery to be a week.
What to watch next
- Vatican updates on Pope Leo's post-operative recovery timeline at Gemelli Hospital
- Further medical prognoses or staging details regarding the cancerous tumor
confidence 100%Sources used for this update (15)
- www.nytimes.com — The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos
- www.pbs.org — Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove nodule on his lung
- Vatican News — Pope Leo to be admitted to Gemelli Hospital on October 13
- The New York Times — Pope Leo Prepares for Surgery to Remove Lung Nodule
- CNN — Pope Leo admitted to hospital to remove growth on lung
- AP News — Who’s in charge when the pope is unconscious and unable to govern? The pope
- ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos — Pope Leo departs Vatican ahead of operation to remove nodule
- Fox News — Pope Leo arrives at hospital for surgery to remove lung nodule
- Yahoo — Pope Leo arrives at Gemelli Hospital in Rome ahead of lung operation
- The Detroit News — Pope Leo to have surgery on lung nodule on Tuesday afternoon
- www.usccb.org — Cancerous tumor removed from Pope Leo's lung, Vatican says
- www.ctvnews.ca — U.S. midterms: Republicans shy away from Trump ahead of vote
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