Shape of Pope Leo’s papacy more uncertain after cancer diagnosis

NEW: Pope Leo's papacy left more uncertain after a lung cancer diagnosis, with his prognosis depending on whether the cancer has spread to his lymph nodes, medical experts say.

Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

The Vatican announced it on Tuesday, after surgeons at Rome's Gemelli Hospital removed part of his right lung along with a nodule. He's 71 now. The prognosis, medical experts say, depends heavily on whether the cancer has reached his lymph nodes, and that answer isn't public yet.

It's a hard turn for a papacy that began only last May, when Robert Prevost stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter's looking energetic, speaking in a strong voice, with no known health problems at all. The contrast with Francis, who grew frail over twelve years and died at 88, was part of the story of his election.

Now the world's 1.4 billion Catholics are facing a sick pope far sooner than anyone expected, and the shape of this papacy rests on a pathology report.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.