Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with cancer after a lower lobe of his right lung was removed successfully.
The Pontiff, 71, went in for a 90-minute surgery on Tuesday morning after a lesion was found on his chest.
The Vatican confirmed in the hours that followed that the nodule had been taken out, but tests found cancerous cells.
The examination revealed a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer.
Leo was in the operating room for around three hours, a spokesman said. He added that the surgery was successful and that there were no complications.
After the operation, Pope Leo XIV woke up normally and returned to his room on the 10th floor of the hospital.
It requires a week-long hospital stay and the Vatican on Monday cancelled all Leo’s audiences through to October 20.
Further tests were being carried out to see if there was any sign the cancer had spread further, a Vatican source added.
The Pope had walked into Rome’s Gemelli hospital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him.
