The Holy Father's lung cancer: No, Leo XIV is not a smoker

The Vatican confirmed that Leo XIV has pulmonary adenocarcinoma, discovered after the removal of the lower lobe of his right lung in an operation on October 13. As he recovers at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, artificially generated images have circulated showing him in hospital and holding a cigarette. The Argentine fact-checking outlet Chequeado examined several images using detection tools, including Hive Moderation, which assessed one image as 81.7% likely to be artificially generated. The article says there is no evidence that the pope has smoked and that his medical bulletin reports he is walking, eating normally and undergoing respiratory physiotherapy.