VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV is recovering as expected after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, the Vatican said Oct. 14, as U.S. Catholic leaders and longtime friends of the pope expressed concern for his health but confidence that his illness would not deter him from carrying out his mission.Pope Leo underwent surgery Oct. 13 at Rome's Gemelli hospital to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after medical tests detected a suspicious growth that was later confirmed to be cancerous. The removed tissue was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that develops in specialized glandular cells.His first night in the hospital passed peacefully, and doctors conducted blood tests and a chest X-ray as scheduled on his first day of recovery, according to Vatican communiques released Oct. 14."The results confirm a normal post-operative course: the values are within the expected range for the type of procedure performed," the Vatican said in an afternoon announcement rela

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Doctors removed a cancerous tumor from Pope Leo XIV's lower lobe of his right lung, after pre-operative medical tests raised suspicions, according to a medical report released by the Vatican.The removed lung tissue was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that develops in the specialized cells lining certain internal organs."The Holy Father was in the operating room for about three hours; the surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. The surgery was successful, and there were no complications," the Vatican press office said in a communique released late Oct. 13.With the assistance of a tiny video camera or thoracoscope, doctors at Rome's Gemelli hospital performed a "radical surgery" in which they removed the entire lower lobe of the right lung to ensure that the entire tumor and surrounding tissues were removed, it said.  A priest prays before a statue of St. John Paul II outside of Rome's Gemelli hospital where Pope