Overview
- Surgeons at Rome’s Gemelli Clinic removed the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung on 13 October to excise a malignant nodule found at an early stage.
- Doctors announced late Wednesday that definitive histological and molecular tests identified the lesion as a lung adenocarcinoma that had not spread and that an oncology review found no need for additional treatment.
- The 71‑year‑old was discharged a few days after the 90‑minute, complication‑free operation and has since resumed public duties including the Angelus and a general audience.
- The Vatican and the medical team say there is no medical barrier to his planned engagements, including the South America trip scheduled for 6–17 November.
- Clinically the operation removed roughly a lobe of lung and is often curative for localized disease, so standard postoperative surveillance and breathing rehabilitation will continue under Gemelli Clinic care.