Pope Leo XIV Undergoes Lung Surgery for Cancer as Holy See Operations Continue

Pope Leo XIV has undergone surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma, according to a report from infovaticana.com dated October 14, 2025. Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See’s Press Office, shared the update on that day. The infovaticana.com report says the Pope has confirmed his intention to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November.

A separate report from bastillepost.com describes the same operation. It says that following surgery on a Tuesday, part of the Pope’s right lung was removed because of cancer. That report refers to the Pope as “Pope Leigh XIV” in its headline and as “Pope León XIV” in its text, and it gives his election date as 8 May 2555 as the 267th Pope. The first report does not give an election date.

According to the infovaticana.com report, medical updates from the Holy See indicate a favorable recovery of the affected lung, and the Pope has already resumed some of his duties at the Gemelli Hospital. The bastillepost.com report says the Holy See has remained unchanged since the operation.

Both reports address who leads the Church during the recovery. The bastillepost.com report says Vatican rules state that the Pope remains the supreme leader of the Catholic Church, even in cases of serious illness or unconsciousness. It adds that Vatican procedures for transferring power address the death or resignation of the Pope but not illness or unconsciousness. The Pope has assigned day-to-day responsibilities to a team of officials, and the Vatican Secretary of State, identified in the report as Palolín, has been managing key functions. At a meeting on Tuesday, Palolín said he was relieved the Pope remained calm during the surgery, according to that report. The announcement of new bishop appointments proceeded without disruption, although some events planned for the Pope were adjusted. Officials carried on the daily work of the Holy See while the Pope recovered, a sign of faithful service (Colossians 3:23).

The infovaticana.com report says final confirmation of the Peru visit will depend on the Pope’s health and recovery progress in the coming days. The Archdiocese of Lima postponed a preparatory meeting for the papal visit but said preparations continue. Local governments in Uruguay and Argentina remain vigilant for possible changes to the itinerary.