Pope Leo XIV (71) is recovering in a Rome hospital after surgeons removed a cancerous tumour from his lung, throwing the Catholic Church into a period of uncertainty.

Doctors removed part of the pope’s right lung during Tuesday’s operation. The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics now waits for test results that will show if the cancer has spread to other parts of his body.

“It’s a shock for everyone. We’re in ‘wait-and-see’ mode,” a Vatican source told AFP.

Early detection offers hope

The Vatican says doctors detected the cancer early and it remains localised. Officials expect the pope to recover in about a week. They have cancelled all his audiences until 20 October.

The sporty American pope, who became the first pontiff from the United States when cardinals elected him in May 2025, surprised the faithful when he announced after Sunday prayers that he would undergo surgery.

The 90-minute operation took place at Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Tuesday. The Vatican says the pope spent a “calm” night afterwards.

Messages pour in from around the world

Support messages flooded in from across the globe.

“Let’s hope he recovers soon,” student Chiara Ruvolo told AFP outside the hospital north of the Vatican, where a banner reads: “Long live the pope!”

Leo stays in a room on the 10th floor of the building, next to a papal suite with a private chapel that workers are currently renovating.

Professor Federico Venuta, head of Thoracic Surgery at the Policlinico Umberto 1 hospital in Rome, told AFP he expects Leo to be up and about immediately.

“Generally, on the first day… they have a follow-up X-ray, resume eating with a light breakfast, and then start physical therapy right away — the sooner they get out of bed, the better,” he said.

Church faces new uncertainty

The Chicago-born pope, a keen tennis player, entered the hospital smiling and waving on Tuesday. In the hospital chapel, dozens of faithful prayed for the pope’s health during the operation.

The shock news has rattled the Catholic Church. A Vatican source told AFP the pope seemed “unwell” after his trip to France at the end of September.

“If this forces him to slow down, it might not be a bad thing, given his very hectic pace,” the source said.

Expert Marco Politi, who has spent decades covering the Vatican, told AFP: “The Church is now in a state of uncertainty. When Leo was elected everyone foresaw a long papacy.”

Hendro Munsterman, a theologian and expert for Dutch newspaper Nederlands Dagblad, said the diagnosis marks “a new phase”.

“We have a pope whom everyone described as young, active and athletic… Now, we have a pope who also has his own vulnerabilities, which will change his image,” he told AFP.

“This might prompt him to speed up certain matters,” such as personnel appointments.

Politi said Leo had been working on “repairing” rifts between various wings of the Church, and many will want him “to continue with this important mission as soon as possible”.

Upcoming travel plans in doubt

Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated an important mass on St Peter’s Square on Wednesday that Leo was to have presided over.

The surgery raises questions about whether Leo will go ahead with a lengthy visit next month to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he worked as a missionary for two decades.

The operation marks Leo’s first hospital stay since he became pope on 8 May 2025.

The Vatican kept popes’ health conditions very secret historically, but began sharing more information during the illness of Leo’s predecessor, Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed his ailments.

ALSO READ: Pope to undergo surgery for early-stage lung nodule