A SUCCESSFUL LUNG SURGERY CARRIED OUT ON POPE LEO XIV

News Source: Vatican News Photo Credit: Hrodmaske

Pope Leo XIV has reportedly undergone successful lung surgery at Gemelli Hospital, with no complications reported during the procedure.

According to a statement attributed to the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday evening, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the hospital, performed the operation alongside a medical team.

The statement indicated that the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung was removed using a video-assisted surgical technique. It further reported that an examination of the tissue during the operation confirmed the diagnosis suspected from the preoperative tests. “An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations,” the statement reportedly said.

Following a period of observation, the Pope returned to his room on the hospital’s tenth floor. The report stated that he spent approximately three hours in the operating room, while the surgical procedure itself lasted about 90 minutes and was completed without complications.

Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, reportedly indicated that, following the operation, Pope Leo XIV contacted and spent the evening with his secretaries and other Vatican staff. Further examinations are expected to be conducted on the removed tissue to provide additional information. The report also indicated that the preoperative tests had helped the medical team determine the location of the affected tissue and plan the surgical procedure.

The previously announced hospitalisation period of approximately one week is expected to remain unchanged, according to the report.

Story by:

Anita Aryee
DEPSOCOM, Accra