Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer but had successful surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican has said in a medical bulletin.

The 71-year-old underwent a 90 minute surgery on Tuesday at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and was subsequently diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma.

“After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room on the 10th floor,” the Vatican said in a statement.

The lump was first detected during what the Vatican has described as “routine checks”.

Earlier, large crowds gathered outside the hospital to greet the Pope, with some waiting for several hours.

They cheered greetings and well wishes as he passed, while he waved and smiled back through the lowered back window of his car.

He was then met by staff on the hospital steps. “I’m sorry,” one of them commiserated, to which the Pope gave a smile and a shrug. “We’re here for you,” he was assured.

In its statement, the Vatican said the whole lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung was removed “to ensure the procedure was radical”.

A Vatican source told Agence France-Presse news agency further tests were being carried out to see if there was any sign the cancer had spread.

It was Leo XIV himself who on Sunday announced news of his operation to the world, speaking from the balcony in St Peter’s Square after delivering the traditional Angelus blessing.

He said the nodule, or growth, on his lung was “contained” and had been found “at a very early stage”, but that doctors had advised him to have it removed.

Gemelli’s thoracic surgery team operated on the Pope, whose schedule has already been cleared until 20 October to give him time to recover.

Nodules are quite common and not necessarily cancerous, but after it was examined the medical team confirmed it was pulmonary adenocarcinoma, “as suspected by pre-operative tests”, the Vatican said.

The Vatican has stressed that the pontiff, who is generally thought to be fit, had no symptoms of infection or illness.

Cardinal Kikuchi Tarcisio Isao of Tokyo wrote on social media that he’d had an audience with Pope Leo on Monday, and said the pontiff felt “nothing wrong” physically.

He said the Pope had decided to check in for surgery as soon as possible because he was due to travel to Latin America in early November, and was keen to stick to that plan.

The trip is particularly significant because it includes a visit to Peru, where the pontiff was a missionary and then a Bishop for many years.

Despite all the reassurances, the news has shaken Catholics all over the world.

“Am I worried? Yes, because I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like this,” Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin told journalists on Tuesday.

He agreed that the news was like a “bolt from the blue”, but said the cardinals had been struck by the Pope’s “serenity” and were confident in his recovery.

Outside Gemelli Hospital, which has treated several popes and is home to a large statue of John Paul II, a few Catholics lingered after the pontiff was admitted.

Carla had come specially, wanting to be close.

“He seems calm, so we are calm too – even though illness is always unpleasant,” she told the BBC. “We will wait here and pray.”

[BBC]

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

The series may have been lost but Sri Lanka will be feeling a lot better about themselves following a comprehensive win in the third and final T20I. Kusal Mendis’ 87 off 48 led the way in the chase, as Sri Lanka hunted down Pakistan’s  total of 168 for 8 with 17 balls and eight wickets to spare.

There was the customary fifty-plus score from Sahibzada Farhan but this time Sri Lanka’s bowlers ensured their plans were executed with more precision than had been for much of the tour. This was highlighted by the fact that aside from Farhan, only one other Pakistan batter scored more than 20 – Arafat Minhas with 34.

Dasun Shanaka was the unlikely hero with the ball, picking up figures of 3 for 21, while Vijayakanth Viyaskanth – in for Maheesh Theekshana – too was pivotal in halting the run-scoring during his four overs which went for just 23 and brought about one wicket. There were two wickets apiece too for Eshan Malinga and Nuwan Thushara.

Then with the chase, Lahiru Udara fell early – even though SL opted against a review that would have reprieved him – but after that Kusal put together stands of 59 and 98* with Sineth Jayawardena (38 off 26) and then Kamindu Mendis (40 off 27) to see the game to a close with quite some degree of comfort.

It was Farhan once more putting Sri Lanka’s bowlers to the sword as he pummelled seven fours and three sixes across his 76-run, 47-ball innings, but that Sri Lanka still managed to restrict Pakistan to under 170 highlights just how well the Sri Lankan bowlers executed their plans against the rest of the batting.

After yet another quick start from the openers Malinga’s outstanding opening over – the fourth of the inning and a double wicket maiden – brought Sri Lanka right into the contest, as both Fakhar Zaman and Maaz Sadaqat were removed trying to hit out.

This though did not slow down Farhan, as he and Hasan Nawaz struck five boundaries over the next two overs to end the powerplay on 57 for 2. This though was where Sri Lanka put on the squeeze, led by the excellent Viyaskanth.

The 24-year-old legspinner from Jaffna did his chances of more starts no harm at all with a brilliant spell of defensive bowling. On a wicket with good bounce and the ball coming on well, Viyaskanth kept his trajectories flat and speeds consistently between 90-100kph.

It meant runs were being blocked up from one end, a T20 currency that you could argue is more important than wickets. Benefitting from Viyaskanth’s control and defensive aptitude was Shanaka, who himself has been showing increasing bowling nouse as of late. Despite possessing pace in the mid 120s, Shanaka’s variations in pace and length proved frustrating for the Pakistani batters as they time and again failed to get him away for significant runs.

But at the other end Farhan was playing his own game as he proceeded to pretty much bat right through the innings, falling only off the penultimate ball of the innings. While Arafat’s runs were also vital, Farhan was no doubt the difference between Pakistan stumbling to a score below 140 and what they eventually managed.

It’s been a roller coaster couple of months for 21-year-old Sineth Jayawardena. Following an exceptional breakout season in Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament, where he struck 372 runs across nine innings to help Tamil Union to the title, he earned a call up to the national side for the Asian Games before making the national side proper for the tour of Pakistan.

But it hasn’t been his batting that initially caught the eye; his dropped catch off Farhan proved to be pivotal sliding doors moment in the second game, and in this game it was his over-exuberant throw to the keeper that meant Sri Lanka missed out on a crucial run-out chance of Arafat just as he had come to the crease. That Arafat proceeded to crack 34 off 20 from then on, was the proverbial salt in the wounds.

Jayawardena’s inexperience was then further highlighted when his opening partner Lahiru Udara was trapped lbw by a booming in swinger from Imran Randhawa, only for him to opt against a review presumably on the advice of his partner. Replays showed that the impact had been outside off. Was Jayawardena tentative in pushing for a review owing to his earlier lapses? Perhaps.

But the flip side of the unpolished nature of his game – rough edges that can be only sharpened with game time – was on full display with the bat. His 26-ball stay fetched five fours and two sixes, and while there were 13 dot balls, nearly all of those were in service of an attacking shot of some sort. It was a showcase of unbridled intent.

Gary Kirsten spoke before the game about the T20 side being in an “exploratory phase” ahead of the next World Cup still two years away. In that sense, in Jayawardena there seems to be a talent well worth exploring, rough edges and all.

Kusal has been key to several of Sri Lanka’s wins, and it’s no surprise that in the first two games, Kusal falling cheaply meant they struggled with the bat.

Here though, after a subdued start where Kusal deferred to the rawer Jayawardena, he grew into his innings and by the end of the chase was striking at a rate above 180. Alongside him, Kamindu provided an ideal foil with his strike rotation – he faced just four dot deliveries across his 27-ball innings.

It would not be wrong for Sri Lanka to be worried about their over-reliance on their skipper, but in the absence of other star man Pathum Nissanka, the likes of Jayawardena and Kamindu stepping up are definitely promising signs for the future.

Scores:
Sri Lanka 172 for 2 in 17.1 overs (Sineth Jayawardena 38, Kusal Mendis 87*, Kamindu Mendis 40*; Mohammad  Imran 1-31, Arafat Minhas 1-26) beat Pakistan 168 for 8 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 76, Fakhar Zaman 12, Hasan Nawaz 16, Abdul Samad 15, Arafat Minhas 34*; Nuwan Thushara 2-38, Eshan Malinga 2-38, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 1-23, Dasun Shanaka 3-21) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]