Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin called it “Lightning in a blue sky” ("Un fulmine a ciel sereno"). Surgeons at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where the Pope was operated on yesterday, have made it known that the “lung nodule” they have removed was a malignant tumor. They have removed an entire right lobe of the lung.
The Pope’s participation in the Assisi International Peace meeting Oct. 25-27 is currently under re-consideration. His trip to South America is still on the official agenda. At the time of writing, it was not known whether the Pope will undergo chemotherapy in his post-surgery treatment for cancer.