Pope Leo has lung cancer, the Vatican announces after surgery

Pope Leo XIV had surgery on Tuesday to remove a cancerous growth in his lung, the Vatican announced.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3815x5723+0+0/resize/3815x5723!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F46%2F562073274bfd95659051d7e199a0%2Fap26286412655901.jpg' alt='Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where doctors operated to remove part of his lung.'/><p>Pope Leo XIV had surgery on Tuesday to remove a cancerous growth in his lung, the Vatican announced.</p><p>(Image credit: Alessandra Tarantino)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-147968' />