The pontiff’s surgery has raised questions over who would run the Catholic Church if he became incapacitated
Pope Leo XIV has had part of a lung removed after being diagnosed with cancer, the Vatican has announced. The diagnosis has exposed a gap in Vatican law, which has no clear procedure for transferring papal authority if the pontiff becomes too ill to govern.
The 71-year-old pope underwent surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday after doctors discovered a small tumor. The Vatican confirmed that surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung and that tests identified the cancer as pulmonary adenocarcinoma, one of the most common forms of lung cancer.
“The surgery was completed successfully, within the expected timeframe and as planned,” the Vatican said in a statement. The operation lasted approximately 90 minutes, with the pope spending about three hours in the operating room. Doctors reported no complications.
Leo spent a calm night in the hospital, the Vatican said on Wednesday. His public engagements have been canceled through October 20, with doctors expecting him to remain hospitalized for about a week.
The pontiff, elected in May 2025, had previously said the lung nodule was small and detected at an early stage. Doctors have yet to say whether he will need further cancer treatment.
Pulmonary adenocarcinoma can affect both smokers and nonsmokers. While tobacco use is a major risk factor for lung cancer, exposure to secondhand smoke, radon and asbestos can also contribute. Leo has no known history of smoking, although cancer has affected several members of his family. His mother died of cancer in 1990, while the Vatican announced on Tuesday that his older brother is also battling the disease.
Under canon law, even a pope who is unconscious or permanently unable to govern remains in charge. Unlike secular heads of state, he has no deputy who automatically assumes his powers.
The Vatican’s day-to-day operations continue under senior officials, led by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was attending a conference outside the Vatican during Leo’s surgery.
“We were all struck by the serenity with which the pope announced this procedure,” Parolin told reporters on Tuesday. “Am I worried? Yes, because I certainly didn’t expect something like this.”
The problem has troubled the Vatican for decades. In 1965, Pope Paul VI prepared letters proposing his resignation in the event of serious illness. Pope Francis later drafted a similar letter to be invoked if he became medically incapacitated.
Neither document was ever used and their legal validity remains uncertain. Canon law requires a pope to resign freely, leaving no clear way to transfer power if he becomes permanently incapacitated.
