VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that he will have surgery in the coming days to remove a nodule found on his lung during a recent medical check, telling pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square that it had been caught early, BBC News and The Guardian reported.
“Doctors found a small, localised nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is circumscribed. The doctors believe it’s best to take action, so, following their advice, I’ve decided to have surgery to remove it,” the 71-year-old pontiff said in Italian at the end of his Sunday noon prayer. “The surgery is already scheduled for the coming days. Thank you for your spiritual support, and I entrust myself to your prayers,” he said, according to The Guardian.
Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni said the operation is scheduled for the first days of this week and that recovery is expected to take about a week. Vatican News said it will take place at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, which keeps a special papal suite that has been used since the failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981.
Leo, born Robert Francis Provost, became the first American pope in 2025, succeeding Pope Francis, who died of a stroke in April 2025 after a long hospitalization for double pneumonia. Leo has no previously known health problems and is considered physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo, The Guardian said.
The pope said his planned Nov. 6–17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru would still go ahead. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “personal solidarity,” President Sergio Mattarella wished him “a peaceful recovery and a speedy and full return to health,” and Israeli President Isaac Herzog also sent wishes for a full recovery, the BBC reported.
Sources: BBC News, The Guardian
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