Pope Leo XIV at Gemelli: "The operation ended positively, the lower lobe was removed"

“The intervention concluded positively, within the expected time and manner and the Holy Father returned to the room.” The Vatican press office made this known.

Shortly before 10pm, the Vatican press office issued a statement prepared by Dr. Luigi Carbone, the Pope's attending physician, and by Professor Stefano Margaritora, who operated on the Pope: "The Holy Father underwent thoracic surgery, as scheduled. To make the operation radical, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed with video-assisted technique. The extemporaneous histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of an adenocarcinoma pulmonary, as suspected from the pre-operative tests. The Holy Father was in the operating room for approximately 3 hours, the operation lasted approximately 90 minutes and there were no complications. After the operation the Pope woke up regularly and returned to his room on the 10th floor Maria Teresa Congedo, and Dr. Leonardo Petracca Caravella. The anesthesiology team was made up of Prof. Giovanni Punzo and Dr. Giuseppe Bello.

The Pope underwent surgery at Gemelli to remove the nodule in his lung, performed by the thoracic surgery medical team led by Professor Stefano Margaritora.

The pontiff entered the Roman hospital at 1.08pm, welcomed by a crowd of patients and onlookers.

The president of the board of directors, Daniele Franco, welcomed him. Leone, accompanied by the two secretaries, waved to the crowd and entered the hospital.

"Recently during some checks the doctors found a nodule limited to my lung, identified at a very early stage and well localised. The doctors deemed it appropriate to intervene and so, following their advice, I decided to have surgery to remove it", announced Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of the Angelus in St Peter's Square on 11 October. "The surgery is already scheduled for the next few days. I thank you and I rely on your prayers."

Today at 6 pm the rosary began recited by Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, the Pope's vicar for the diocese of Rome, in the San Giovanni Paolo II chapel of the Gemelli, "to express the closeness and affection of the Church of Rome to its Bishop".

"On behalf of the entire family of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, I would like to express our affectionate closeness to the Holy Father", declared the rector Elena Beccalli. "At the moment of hospitalization, demonstrating the strong bond that unites the University to the Agostino Gemelli Irccs University Polyclinic Foundation, we accompany him with prayer and with profound gratitude for his teaching, which urges us to put the dignity of each person at the center and to build dialogue and peace", he observes.