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Vatican Official Says Pope Leo's Cancer Diagnosis Is 'Game-Changer'
Confirmed
In Short: Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's foreign minister, told the BBC that Pope Leo XIV's lung cancer diagnosis is a 'game-changer' for the papacy.
The 71-year-old Pope underwent surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday to remove a lower lobe of his right lung, where doctors found lung adenocarcinoma.
Gallagher noted that the Pope's health had been taken 'for granted' due to his active lifestyle and previous good health.
He said, 'We were maybe taking him a little bit for granted. And Pope Leo comes along and he's sporty and he seems to be in excellent health, and now we're told that he's not in excellent health and things have got to be sorted out.'
The Vatican confirmed that the surgery was successful and that the Pope is showing steady improvement.
Doctors said the cancer was at an early stage and that no further treatment is necessary.
The Pope is expected to lead Sunday prayers and continue with his planned trip to Latin America starting next week.
Gallagher added, 'I think we were maybe taking him a little bit for granted. He would bring a spirit of renewed hope, but now we're told that he's not in excellent health and things have got to be sorted out.'
The Archbishop also said that the Pope is 'a poor mortal like the rest of us,' acknowledging the Pope's vulnerability.
The Pope's brother, Louis Prevost, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2017, expressed surprise at the surgeon's comments about the Pope's recovery.
Dr. Stefano Margaritora, the surgeon who operated on the Pope, said he could be fully recovered in another 10 days.
The Pope will gradually resume his activities at the Vatican, where he will continue his recovery.
Gallagher emphasized that the diagnosis will make things different going forward, as church figures might have assumed the Pope was not like the rest of us who are very aware of our vulnerabilities and the aging process.
What this adds
Doctors deemed Pope Leo XIV fit for discharge after surgery, allowing him to continue his recovery at the Vatican.
Background
Doctors deemed Pope Leo XIV fit for discharge after surgery, allowing him to continue his recovery at the Vatican.
What's confirmed
- Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s foreign minister, said there had been a temptation to think that Leo was a “Superman, a Superpope” after he was elected in 2025.
- A top Vatican official says that Pope Leo XIV's lung cancer diagnosis is “a bit of a gamechanger” for the Vatican.
- Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Press Association's headquarters in Rome, Tuesday, Oct.
- Subsequent tests indicated no further treatment is necessary and the Vatican this week confirmed Leo would keep his planned trip to Latin America starting next week.
What's still developing
- Nodules are quite common and not necessarily cancerous, but after it was examined the medical team confirmed it was, "as suspected by pre-operative tests", the Vatican said.
- The Angelus prayer is traditionally recited at the Vatican, overlooking crowds in St Peter's Square but has sometimes been given from a hospital window by previous popes when necessary.
- "But these things do take quite a lot of planning, and so you don't just do it overnight."
- Louis Prevost, the pope’s brother who was interviewed on Fox News, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer affecting plasma cells, in 2017 and was successfully treated in 2019, although his wife told CBS News that he “fell out of remission” about three months ago.
- Prevost said that, as far as he was aware, his family had no history of lung cancer, describing it as a “freak diagnosis.” Both of the pope’s parents died of cancer, according to Cook County death records obtained by America, with the pope’s father having atherosclerotic heart disease listed as a contributing condition.
- “As for a long trip involving air travel in about three weeks, I would say there are no clinical reasons why it should not take place,” Dr. Margaritora said.
- He said he had hoped to join the pope on “at least one of the stops” on the visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
- Asked by NBC Chicago whether Pope Leo had asked him to “be careful” in interviews, John Prevost said: “Yes, absolutely. That’s why this gentleman is here,” referring to Father Flores.
- “Even if the operation has gone well, and everybody [says] there are grounds for considerable optimism, I think it is a bit of a game-changer at the same time,” Gallagher said.
- Gallagher also said it was “highly likely” that Leo would travel to Australia in 2028 to close out a big church meeting in Sydney, the International Eucharistic Congress.