梵蒂冈城，10月14日——2025年5月，当美国枢机主教罗伯特·普雷沃斯特作为天主教教会新领袖教皇利奥十四世出现在圣彼得大教堂的阳台上时，他与前任方济各形成了鲜明对比。
VATICAN CITY, Oct 14 - When US Cardinal Robert Prevost emerged on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in May 2025 as Pope Leo XIV, the new leader of the Catholic Church, he struck a stark contrast from his predecessor Francis.
利奥现年69岁，对教皇而言算年轻，他看上去精力充沛，声音洪亮，且没有已知的健康问题病史。方济各享年88岁，在12年教皇任期内身体日渐衰弱。
Leo, young for a pope at 69, appeared energetic, spoke in a strong voice and had no known history of health issues. Francis, who died at 88, had become increasingly frail during his 12-year papacy.
随着梵蒂冈周二宣布，现年71岁的利奥被诊断出患有肺癌，当天下午外科医生切除了他右肺的一部分，全球14亿天主教徒再次意外地面对教皇患病的现实。
With the Vatican's announcement on Tuesday that Leo, now 71, was diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed part of his right lung that afternoon, the world's 1.4 billion Catholics are again unexpectedly facing the reality of a sick pope.
利奥是首位在美国出生的教皇，他已成为教会之外越来越有影响力的声音，就人工智能带来的风险发出警告，并因批评伊朗战争而招致美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的不满。
Leo, the first US-born pontiff, has emerged as an increasingly influential voice beyond the Church, raising alarm about the risks posed by artificial intelligence and drawing the ire of US President Donald Trump by criticising the Iran war.
利奥教皇任期的未来形态——一度预计将是充满活力的，会有许多外国访问，教皇将在全球舞台上扮演引领性的道德角色——如今变得更加不确定。医学专家表示，教皇的预后将取决于若干因素，包括癌症是否已扩散到他的淋巴结，目前尚不清楚。
The future shape of Leo's papacy — once expected to be dynamic with many foreign trips and the pope stepping into a leading moral role on the global stage — is now more uncertain. Medical experts say the pope's prognosis will depend on several factors, including whether the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, currently unknown.
“现在说这将如何影响利奥教皇的议程及其履行教皇职责的能力还为时过早，”梵蒂冈专家、作家约翰·塔维斯对路透社表示。
"It's too early to say how this will affect Pope Leo's agenda and his ability to carry on the duties of the papacy," John Thavis, a Vatican expert and author, told Reuters.
“如果他的康复完全，且不需要激进治疗，教皇或许能够照常履行职责，”他说。
"If his recovery is complete and no aggressive therapy is needed, the pope may be able to carry on as usual," he said.
计划中的南美之行存疑。利奥面临的一个直接问题是，是否继续推进11月6日至17日对乌拉圭、阿根廷和秘鲁为期11天的访问。据悉，此行是教皇的高度优先事项，他曾在秘鲁担任传教士和主教数十年。
PLANNED SOUTH AMERICA TRIP IN QUESTION One immediate question Leo faces is whether to proceed with an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17. The trip is known to be a high priority for the pope, who spent decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru. The original schedule, announced last month, would have made it one of the most intense foreign trips ever undertaken by a pope, with Leo leading some 50 events and giving 36 speeches across a 10-city tour.
上月公布的原始日程原本会让这次出行成为教皇有史以来最密集的外访之一：利奥将在10座城市的行程中主持约50场活动并发表36次演讲。
Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown University in Washington and division chief of hematology-oncology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, said the trip may need to be postponed, depending on Leo's recovery.
华盛顿乔治城大学的肺癌专家、MedStar乔治城大学医院血液肿瘤科主任斯蒂芬·刘医生说，此行可能需要推迟，取决于利奥的康复情况。
"A trip to South America that quickly is possible, if this is an early-stage lung cancer and no further therapy is needed, but it is a tight timeline, and recovery is highly variable," said Liu.
刘说：“如果这是早期肺癌且无需进一步治疗，那么这么快前往南美是可能的，但时间安排很紧，而且康复情况差异很大。”
Leo had been keeping a rapid pace of foreign travel, already making four tours in 2026 and attracting large crowds.
利奥一直保持着快速的外访节奏，2026年已经进行了四次出访，并吸引了大量人群。上个月在巴黎，超过80万人前来见他。“一天一天来”天主教徒经常见证教皇与疾病作斗争。方济各年轻时切除了一部分肺，容易发生呼吸道感染。他作为教皇也曾因结肠和疝气手术住院。
More than 800,000 people turned out to see him in Paris last month. 'ONE DAY AT A TIME' Catholics have often witnessed a pope deal with illness. Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young adult, was prone to respiratory infections. He was also hospitalised as pope for colon and hernia surgeries.
约翰·保罗二世在20世纪90年代开始出现帕金森病症状，尽管梵蒂冈直到2003年才确认了他的诊断。
John Paul II began to suffer symptoms of Parkinson's disease in the 1990s, although the Vatican only confirmed his diagnosis in 2003.
约翰二十三世于1963年死于胃癌，梵蒂冈直到他去世后才披露此事。
John XXIII died in 1963 from stomach cancer that was not disclosed by the Vatican until after his death.
然而，继约翰·保罗之后的本笃十六世是600年来第一位辞职的教皇，他于2013年卸任，此前他表示自己不再有精力胜任这一职务。
Benedict XVI however, who succeeded John Paul, was the first pope to resign in 600 years, stepping down in 2013 after he said he no longer had the strength for the job.
梵蒂冈长期以来对讨论教皇健康问题讳莫如深，但在利奥的情况下却异常透明。
The Vatican, long reticent to discuss papal health issues, has been unusually transparent in Leo's case.
教皇本人周日在圣彼得广场向朝圣者宣布，他的肺部发现了一个“局限性结节”，需要手术。他还说，这是早期发现的，并且得到了很好的控制。梵蒂冈随后在利奥接受手术数小时后提供了详细的医疗公报。
The pope himself announced to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that a "localized nodule" had been found in his lung and he needed surgery. He also said it was detected early and was well contained. The Vatican later provided a detailed medical bulletin hours after Leo had undergone surgery.
另一份声明可能将于周三下午发布，但由于医生需要进行必要的检查，教皇的预后细节预计将在几天之后才能得出。
Another statement may be released on Wednesday afternoon, but details on the pope's prognosis are expected to take a few days as doctors perform the necessary tests.
根据美国癌症协会的数据，当非小细胞肺癌仅局限于肺部时，其五年相对生存率为67%。
According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year relative survival rate for non-small cell lung cancer is 67% when the disease remains confined to the lung.
罗马圣卡米洛-福尔拉尼尼医院胸外科主任朱塞佩·卡迪洛医生表示，早期发现的肺癌切除手术通常会带来“极佳”的预后。
Dr. Giuseppe Cardillo, chief of thoracic surgery at Rome's San Camillo Forlanini hospital, said removal of lung cancer discovered at an early stage usually results in an "excellent" prognosis.
企鹅秘鲁版《利奥传》作者埃莉斯·艾伦表示，人们不应“草率下结论”关于教皇将如何康复。“我们应该一天一天来看待这件事，”她说。
Elise Allen, author of a biography of Leo for Penguin Peru, said people should not "jump the gun" in making conclusions about how the pope will recover. "Let's take it one day at a time," she said.