Pope Leo XIV is expected to undergo surgery in the coming days after doctors discovered a nodule on his lung during a medical examination.
The 71-year-old pontiff announced the development on Sunday, October 11, during his weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square in Rome, saying his medical team had recommended an operation.
“The doctors found an early, well-localised nodule on my lung,” he told the public, adding that the doctors “believe it would be right to intervene” and that he had agreed to the procedure.
He sought to reassure pilgrims that the mass was “well-contained” and had been detected “at an early stage”.
Holy See Press Office spokesman Matteo Bruni later told the media that the operation was scheduled for the first days of the following week. He added that the Pope was expected to need about a week to recover.
The announcement comes nearly a year and a half after Leo XIV succeeded the late Pope Francis, who also experienced lung-related health problems that required hospital treatment.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “personal solidarity” with the pontiff as he prepares for the procedure and the challenges ahead.
Despite the planned surgery, Pope Leo XIV confirmed during Sunday’s service that his scheduled November visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru would still go ahead.
He concluded his Angelus prayer by thanking people for their “spiritual closeness” and saying he was entrusting himself to their prayers.
