Uruguay

Montevideo, October 14, 2026. Uruguayan media covered Pope Leo XIV's operation on Tuesday, October 13, mainly focusing on its medical aspect. Subrayado and El Observador picked up the AFP dispatch: doctors removed the lower lobe of the right lung during an approximately 90-minute procedure, which lasted three hours in the operating room. The Vatican stated that, "to ensure the procedure was radical," this lobe was removed, and the operation "confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suggested by preoperative tests." The bulletin specified that the procedure "was a success and without complications." The Pope woke up normally, returned to his tenth-floor room, and, according to a Vatican source, asked for his dinner. When asked about a possible extension of the cancer, this source replied that further tests are underway.

El Observador, which reprinted a text from BBC Mundo, recalled that a nodule is a small and localized lesion, often benign, and cited the American Thoracic Society: less than 5% of pulmonary nodules are found to be cancerous. The media also gave the floor to Marisa Fazzino, director of the oncology department at the Police Hospital of Montevideo. She explained that this type of cancer is "one of the least aggressive" and that, detected early, it often leads to a cure. She specified that she does not know the case and is speaking in general terms. For her, it is now necessary to wait for the postoperative period and the definitive pathological anatomy, because, she said, lung cancers have a "genetic identity card" today that allows for the orientation of potential treatment.

The portrait of the team is another axis. Montevideo Portal presented Stefano Margaritora, 66, head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli for ten years, and the Pope's personal physician, Luigi Carbone. It noted that Leo XIV, 71, entered the hospital on foot at 1:09 pm local time, after greeting the press. El Observador devoted a paper to Gemelli, nicknamed "Vatican III" by John Paul II, who was hospitalized there nine or ten times according to the articles. It recalled the four stays of Francis, whose weakened image appeared on the balcony in March 2025.

Subrayado summarized the sequence: the Pope announced the nodule on Sunday, detected "at a very early stage" in his own words, then the Vatican specified on Monday that it was detected during a routine check. The media spoke of at least a week of rest before deciding on potential treatment. In this context, the Pope's agenda, the trip to Latin America, and the government of the Church during convalescence were not addressed.