Pope Leo XIV was elected pope on 8 May 2025, following the death of Pope Francis in April of the same year.
Since then, the 71-year-old pope has experienced serious health problems, raising concerns within the family.
According to the American news outlet Parade, the pope's older brother, Louis Prevost, and his wife, Deborah, remain in close contact with him.
The two brothers last spoke last week, before Louis was due to begin a new course of treatment.
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Pope undergoes surgery
The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery during which doctors removed the lower part of his right lung.
During the operation, it was confirmed that the pope has lung cancer.
It remains unclear how advanced the disease is and whether the pope will require further treatment.
Deborah Prevost told CBS News on 13 October that she hopes the disease was detected early. She does not yet know whether the pope will need chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
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Another serious diagnosis
But the pope is not the only family member battling cancer.
His older brother, Louis Prevost, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer, in 2017.
Following several rounds of treatment in 2019, doctors managed to keep the disease under control for several years.
However, the cancer returned earlier this year.
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Louis is now receiving treatment at a hospital in Florida, where he is also participating in a cancer treatment trial.
Both the pope and his older brother are therefore battling different forms of cancer.
According to CBS News, the family remains hopeful that both brothers will recover.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.