Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to undergo lung surgery next week after an early-stage nodule was detected during a routine medical examination. The pontiff made the announcement himself during Sunday prayer in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
The 71-year-old pope said his medical team had deemed surgery advisable. He reassured the faithful, explaining that the growth is well-localized and fully under control because it was detected at an early stage.
According to Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, the surgery is planned for early next week at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. The hospital has a dedicated suite established following the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. The recovery period is expected to last approximately one week.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President Sergio Mattarella, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed their solidarity with the pope and wished him a speedy recovery. Despite the planned medical procedure, the pope’s official November tour of Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru remains scheduled to go ahead.
From a medical perspective, a pulmonary nodule is a small growth of tissue that is usually asymptomatic and is often detected during chest X-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans.
Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, is the 267th pope and the first American to hold the office. He assumed leadership of the Vatican approximately a year and a half ago, following the death of Pope Francis.
