The Vatican announces the removal of part of the Pope's lung after it was confirmed that he had cancer

(CNN) - The Vatican announced, on Tuesday, that Pope Leo

The Vatican said, in a statement, that the surgery “ended according to plan,” and that the Pope returned to his room.

“The lower lobe of the right lung was removed using video-assisted surgery,” Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Marghrittora said in a statement after the end of the surgery.

They said further examination of the lobe revealed evidence of lung adenocarcinoma, a common type of lung cancer.

The surgery was performed Tuesday afternoon at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital northwest of Rome, a private medical facility with a long association with the Vatican.

The Pope's stay in the hospital this week is the first of his papacy.

The 71-year-old Pope told the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that doctors had discovered a "nodule" in his lung and advised him to remove it.

A nodule is a mass of dense tissue that is often benign.

The growth was discovered "at a very early stage" and was "well contained," the Pope stated.

The Pope canceled all his public events until October 20.

“Surgeries to remove nodules are usually minimally invasive with a low rate of complications,” said Dr. Matthew Triplett, medical director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program and a specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine.

He added that patients usually stay in the hospital for a few days and then continue their recovery at home.

The Vatican will continue its work while the pope is in hospital, although anything that requires his signature will have to be postponed.

A church spokesman said on Sunday that the Pope would need about a week to recover after the operation.

The Vatican has no specific rules on how to transfer leadership of the Catholic Church in the event of a pope's incapacity.

Even if he is unconscious and undergoing surgery, the Pope retains full papal authority.

Both Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II issued laws and statements while hospitalized.

The Vatican's day-to-day operations are already handled by a separate team.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Italian media on Tuesday that Catholic clergy were all praying for the pope's health.

He added: "We were all amazed by the calmness with which the Pope announced this measure, and we hope that he can solve this problem as soon as possible. We are confident, but of course, we support him with our prayers."