Pope recovering "as expected" after surgery, lung cancer diagnosis

Pope Leo XIV's surgery confirmed that he has lung cancer and he had the lower lobe of his right lung removed, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.

The 71-year-old pontiff was in the operating room for about 3 hours, the statement said. The surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. "The surgery was successful, and there were no complications," the statement said.