Pope's lung cancer: brother of Leo XIV says doctors 'took everything out' and that pontiff 'feels fine' after surgery

Louis Prevost, brother of Pope Leo

"After he came out of surgery, I received a message from his [employee] right-hand man and he told me that Leo XIV was feeling well if not in pain. He is in good condition and in good hands. They caught [the cancer] early enough and he will be able to recover from the surgery and carry on his papal ministry," Louis Prevost told US TV Newsmax. "They found something bad, but they took everything out, so good news," he added.

The medical team confirmed on Tuesday the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma in the nodule removed from the pope's body. Leo XIV is recovering at Gemelli, the "hospital of the Popes", in Rome, after a 90-minute surgery on Tuesday. The Holy See estimated that the pontiff will spend a week in hospital before being discharged.

Louis also said that he asked Leo XIV if his life was at risk or if the cancer was serious, and that the pontiff denied both. He said he was "shocked" when he found out about his younger brother's lump and that they spoke on the phone before the surgery.

"It was something quick and shocking [the news of the nodule]. When he announced it at a mass, it was a shock for us. He is my youngest brother, hearing that he had a nodule was unnerving. I asked if his life was at risk, he said no, I asked if it was serious, he said that the doctors found the nodule small and that the surgery would not be invasive", said the pope's brother.

Pope Leo XIV spent a peaceful night in hospital after surgery that removed the lower lobe of his right lung and the confirmation of a cancer diagnosis, the Vatican said in a statement this Wednesday (14).

The medical bulletin released on Tuesday did not mention what the next steps of treatment will be, and the Vatican reported that doctors are not talking, for now, about chemotherapy or other therapies, pending the results of other tests.

The Vatican press office highlighted that the medical statement mentioned the “radical” removal of the lung lobe, indicating that doctors removed all suspicious tissue in hopes of eliminating any remaining traces of the cancer.

Leo's lymph nodes were also reportedly removed and examined to determine whether the cancer had spread, but there was no word yet on the results of those tests.

The Vatican has canceled all of Leo XIV's audiences until October 20. It was not yet known, until the last update of this report, whether his scheduled trip to South America in November — where he planned to visit Peru, Argentina and Uruguay — was still going ahead.