Rubio wishes “strength” to the Pope after diagnosis of lung cancer

O secretary of State, Marco Rubio, today wished “force” to Pope Leo XIV and to the doctors accompanying him after the diagnosis of lung cancer.

“May the Lord give you strength and the Holy Spirit guide the health professionals who assist the Holy Father”, said in the X Rubio, who is a practicing Catholic.

The U.S. Secretary of State also claimed to be with his family united in prayer for the Pope's health.

Rubio met at the Vatican in May with Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on a visit that also sought to reduce tensions between the Holy See and the White House due to the criticism of the American President Donald Trump.

The nodule in the lungs removed from Pope Leo XIV today in a surgery in Rome was carcinogenic and forced the removal of the “lower lobe of the right lung”, the Vatican said.

“To make the intervention radical, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed,” and the operation “confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suspected by preoperative examinations,” the Vatican reported.

Leo XIV, 71 years old, returned to the fourth at the end of the afternoon after the 90-minute surgery at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, which, the Vatican said earlier, was “successful, within the expected and planned timeframe”.

The operation began around 18:00 local and, according to medical sources cited by the Italian agency ANSA, Leo XIV may move and be standing on Wednesday.

The Pope entered the hospital early this afternoon, two days after announcing that he would be operated on a nodule “circumscribed to the lung”, which was detected “in a very early phase”.

The statement released by the Vatican is signed by the Pope's personal physician Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, who heads the thoracic surgery team responsible for the operation of Leo XIV.

“The Holy Father remained in the operating room for about 3 hours, and the intervention itself lasted approximately 90 minutes”, and it happened “well” and without “complications”, they advance.

“ After the intervention, the Pope woke up normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the 10th floor” of Gemelli hospital, they also mention.

A Vatican source added that the Pope ordered dinner as soon as he returned to his room.

Asked about possible signs of cancer spread, the same source reported that additional tests were being carried out.

Faithful men and women religious gathered in the chapel of Gemelli Hospital in Rome to pray for the Pope's health.

Surgery, which is normally performed under general anesthesia, will require a one-week hospitalization.

On Monday, the Vatican canceled all audiences of the Pope until the next 20 October, two weeks after the surgery.

Leo XIV became the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics around the world – and the first American Pope in history – on May 8, 2025, after the death, at the age of 88, of the Argentine Pope Francis.

Although less exuberant than the predecessor, Leo XIV gradually imprinted his own style on the leadership of the Catholic Church, addressing some of the most pressing issues worldwide from deadly conflicts to Artificial Intelligence.