Pope Leo’s Cancer Diagnosis: What Happens Next
New York Times · LC · trust 58/100
Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with a common form of lung cancer on Tuesday, about a year and half into his papacy. He still plans to travel to South America next month.
Listen · 3:59 min Share full article 1 Pope Leo arriving at a hospital in Rome on Tuesday. Credit... Ciro De Luca/Reuters By Laura Chung
The Vatican said that doctors operating on the pope in Rome on Tuesday confirmed he has lung adenocarcinoma , a common form of lung cancer that can be highly treatable when caught early. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung.
It was not clear as of Wednesday morning whether Leo, 71, would undergo further treatment. The Vatican has said that he still plans to visit South America in November.
Political and religious figures around the world, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, responded to the diagnosis with prayers and messages of support .
Leo was elected in May 2025 and is the first pope from the United States. Born Robert Francis Prevost, he is from the Chicago area but has spent much of his life outside the United States, including two decades in Peru , where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen.
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