Pope Leo XIV announces surgery to remove lung nodule

Pope Leo XIV announced on 11 October that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodule found on his lung, saying it was detected at an early stage and is well localised. The 71-year-old pontiff made the announcement during his weekly Sunday Angelus prayer address to pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.nationalpost.com+1

The announcement matters because it is the first reported health issue for a pope who has no previously reported medical problems and who leads an active lifestyle, playing tennis weekly and swimming at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. The Vatican has not said whether the operation and recovery will affect the pope's planned international travel later in November.

What the pope announced

Leo said the nodule was found during recent medical checks. "During recent medical checks, a nodule on my lung was found. It has been detected at a very early stage and is very localized," he said in his address in St Peter's Square. He described the finding as well-contained and said the doctors judged intervention to be the right course.

The pope said he was following his doctors' advice. "The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it," Leo said. He closed his address by thanking the faithful: "I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers."

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told reporters the surgery would take place at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome. Bruni said the operation was scheduled for the first days of the week following the 11 October announcement, and that the pope's recovery after the procedure was expected to take about one week. The Vatican press office said the pontiff was expected to have surgery in the next few days.

Where and when the surgery happens

The Gemelli hospital is a Catholic teaching institution in Rome that has long served as the site of papal care and keeps a suite reserved for the pope on its 10th floor. Pope John Paul II had a benign tumour removed from his colon at the same hospital in 1992, and Dr Sergio Alfieri operated on Pope Francis for a colon ailment in 2021 and a hernia in 2023.

A lung nodule, also called a pulmonary nodule, is a small area of abnormal tissue in the lung, usually found on a chest X-ray or computed tomography scan, according to the National Health Service. Most nodules are benign and may stem from previous infections, inflammation or scarring. The American Thoracic Society says fewer than 5 per cent of lung nodules turn out to be malignant.

What a lung nodule means

Reactions came quickly from political and church leaders. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the "calmness with which he spoke during today's Angelus reassures us," and expressed her personal closeness and that of the Italian government. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wished Leo a "successful surgery and a swift, full recovery" in a post on X on 11 October 2026.

Church leaders in the countries on the pope's itinerary also responded. Archbishop Daniel Sturla of Montevideo called on the faithful to pray for a speedy recovery and to continue preparations for the Uruguay visit with even greater enthusiasm. Argentina's bishops' conference urged Catholics to join in a special prayer for Leo ahead of the surgery, asking that it go well with a swift and full recovery.

Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, became the first US-born pope when cardinals elected him on 8 May 2025, following the death of Pope Francis on 21 April 2025 at the age of 88. He now leads the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. The Vatican has not announced a date for the operation beyond the first days of the coming week.