Vatican official says pope's cancer surgery is a 'game-changer' for papacy

Pope Leo XIV is recovering from surgery to remove a tumor from his right lung and will keep his schedule, including a trip to Latin America next month. The lower lobe of his right lung was removed Oct. 13 after doctors found a mass later identified as adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. Tests afterward showed no further treatment is needed, and the pope has been resuming daily activities.

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See's foreign minister, said the diagnosis changes how the papacy is viewed. "The fact that he has fallen ill with, in many ways, one of the most common illnesses of our age means that he is a poor mortal like the rest of us," Gallagher told reporters at the Italian foreign press association. He said people had been tempted to see Leo as a "Superman, a Superpope" after he was elected in 2025 and "hit the ground running" following the illness and death of Pope Francis.

Leo, 71, was elected in 2025. He spent two decades as a missionary priest in Peru, where he holds citizenship, and served as bishop of Chiclayo. Gallagher said the pope clearly wants to travel. "All of the medical advice is very positive, from a clinical point of view, so he feels he can go," he said.

The Vatican confirmed this week that the Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru will proceed without changes to the published program. The itinerary includes 12 flights and two helicopter rides covering 31,000 kilometers, about 19,000 miles, the longest journey of Leo's pontificate.

Gallagher, a British veteran of the Vatican's diplomatic service, said Leo could visit the United States in the "not-too-distant future," though he said the outcome of next month's midterm elections might affect whether that happens in 2027 or later. The Vatican generally avoids papal trips to countries during national election campaigns. Discussions about a U.S. visit have included timing it with the U.N. General Assembly in the fall or alongside a possible stop in Mexico, but Gallagher said no firm plans are in place. He also said it is "highly likely" Leo will travel to Australia in 2028 for the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney, and that a trip to South Korea is planned for August 2027 for World Youth Day.