The Villanova University community is rallying around Pope Leo XIV after surgery Tuesday, Oct. 13, confirmed the 1977 alumnus has lung cancer.
Surgeons at Rome's Gemelli hospital removed the lower lobe of Leo's right lung during a 90-minute procedure. The Holy See Press Office said the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, a diagnosis suspected from earlier tests. The Vatican said the surgery was successful with no complications.
Fr. Rob Hagan, Prior Provincial at the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, told 6ABC Action News on Tuesday night that the campus was thinking of the 71-year-old pontiff. He described the diagnosis as a reminder that the pope is not immune to the same health struggles everyone faces. Fr. Hagan said Leo had spent the past year praying for peace and for people on the margins.
"And now it's our time to pray for him," he said.
Villanova staff and students were already in Italy for the university's international sustainability conference when the news broke. Leo had planned to present the inaugural Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal himself. Instead, Villanova President Rev. Peter Donohue awarded the medal to Cardinal Michael Czerny for his work developing an HIV and AIDS treatment program, PhillyVoice reported. About 350 people attended the event.
Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson J. Pérez released a statement saying the prognosis remains highly optimistic and asking Catholics across the archdiocese to pray for Leo's recovery.
Dr. Patrick Ross, chief of thoracic surgery at Main Line Health, offered a cautiously encouraging medical assessment. Ross said lung adenocarcinoma "is the most common kind of lung cancer right now, and one that is associated with all of the new advances with excellent prognosis," according to 6ABC.
Early detection matters most, Ross said. He added that the pope's surgery appeared to have been performed using a minimally invasive, video-assisted thoracoscopic approach, which he called an extremely successful technique. The final prognosis hinges on pathology results from the lung tissue and lymph nodes, Ross said.
The Vatican said doctors were not discussing chemotherapy or other therapies pending those results.
Leo, born Robert Prevost, graduated from Villanova in 1977 with a degree in mathematics. He became an Augustinian priest in 1982 and was named a cardinal in 2023 before his election as pope in 2025. NPR reported that Leo remains physically active at 71, with regular tennis matches and horseback riding at the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo.
The Vatican canceled all papal audiences through Oct. 20. Leo's planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru has not been officially changed.
