Holy See Press Office Press Release
October 13, 2026
Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora have issued the following statement regarding this afternoon’s operation:
The Holy Father underwent thoracic surgery as scheduled.
To ensure a radical procedure, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique. The intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the pre-operative tests.
The Holy Father was in the operating theatre for approximately three hours; the operation itself lasted about ninety minutes. The operation was successful and there were no complications.
Following the operation, the Pope woke up normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the tenth floor.
Please keep Pope Leo in your prayers as he recovers from his surgery and faces treatment for his lung cancer.