VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo XIV was recovering Wednesday in hospital after a tumour removed from his lung was found to be cancerous, plunging the Catholic Church into a period of uncertainty.
Part of the pope's right lung was removed in the operation and the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics is awaiting the results of tests to determine if the cancer has spread.
"It's a shock for everyone. We're in 'wait-and-see' mode," a Vatican source told AFP.
The sporty 71-year-old, who was elected as the first American pope only last year, made the surprise announcement that he would be undergoing surgery after Sunday prayers.
He underwent the 90-minute operation at Rome's Gemelli hospital on Tuesday, after which the Vatican said he spent a "calm" night.
Messages of support flooded in from around the world.
"Let's hope he recovers soon," student Chiara Ruvolo told AFP outside the hospital north of the Vatican, where a banner read: "Long live the pope!"
Experts said much would depend on how advanced the cancer was, and whether it had spread, but the Vatican has said it was detected early and was localised.
It expects the pope's recovery to take around a week. All his audiences have been cancelled until October 20.
Leo is staying in a room on the 10th floor of the building, next to a papal suite with a private chapel that is currently under renovation.
Professor Federico Venuta, head of Thoracic Surgery at the Policlinico Umberto 1 hospital in Rome, told AFP he expected 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.
Chicago-born Leo, a keen tennis player, had entered the hospital smiling and waving on Tuesday.
In the hospital chapel, dozens of faithful prayed for the pope's health during the operation.
- New uncertainty -
The shock news of his illness has rattled the Catholic Church.
A Vatican source told AFP the pope seemed "unwell" after his trip to France at the end of September.
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 it was "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".
Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated an important mass on St Peter's Square on Wednesday that was to have been presided over by the pope.
The surgery has raised 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.
It marks Leo's first hospitalisation since he became pope on May 8, 2025.
The Vatican has historically been very secretive about the health of popes, but began to be more transparent during the illness of Leo's predecessor, Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed his ailments.
By Ella Ide
- Article by AFP