Overview
- The pope underwent video‑assisted thoracic surgery on Tuesday to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after a routine check found a nodule and intraoperative pathology confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
- Vatican and hospital statements say the 90‑minute procedure was successful with no complications and that he woke lucid, returned to a room on the Gemelli’s tenth floor, and began early mobilization and respiratory physiotherapy.
- Doctors are running postoperative pathology and staging studies to check for lymph node or distant spread; those results will decide if surgery alone is sufficient or if adjuvant therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy are needed.
- The Holy See has suspended the pope’s public audiences through October 20 and is keeping Vatican operations running under existing officials while some new appointments or promulgations are deferred during his recovery.
- Governments and organizers in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru are maintaining preparations for the November visit but say final decisions on the itinerary will wait for the Vatican’s medical updates and the multidisciplinary oncology assessment.