Overview
- Surgeons performed a video-assisted removal of the right lower lung lobe on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and an intraoperative histology confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma while the Vatican reported the procedure was successful and the pope woke lucid.
- The Holy See says the pope will remain hospitalized for about a week and has suspended public audiences through Oct. 20 to allow for recovery and postoperative checks.
- Medical teams are now analysing the removed tissue and running staging exams to determine if cancer reached lymph nodes and whether adjuvant treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted drugs or immunotherapy will be required.
- The Secretariat of State and a small senior coordination team have been activated to manage the Vatican’s day-to-day affairs during the pope’s convalescence because canon law keeps the pope in office while he is hospitalized.
- The November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru remains officially planned but its execution is conditional on the forthcoming pathology and clinical progress, so governments and local organizers are maintaining preparations while awaiting Vatican updates.