Pope Leo has part of a lung removed and is diagnosed with cancer, the Vatican says
Pope Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed in surgery in Rome on Tuesday 13 October and was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin (Reuters via the Straits Times); Politico also reported the diagnosis. The 71-year-old was admitted to hospital to remove a small growth, with surgery deemed low risk, the Guardian reported, and a top Vatican cardinal said the discovery had come “like a bolt out of the blue”. It is his first hospitalisation since he became head of the Catholic Church on 8 May 2025 (Straits Times).
A pope’s health bears on the governance of a church of more than a billion people. The finding of cancer means follow-up care is likely to shape his schedule.
For most readers there is no direct effect. For Catholics in Singapore, it may prompt prayers and questions about the pope’s planned travel, which DailyDrop has not seen addressed.
Watch the next Vatican bulletin for recovery news and for any treatment plan beyond surgery.
DailyDrop Singapore edition No. 10 · Morning · WED., OCT. 14, 2026