Pope Leo XIV to undergo surgery this week to remove lung nodule
The 71-year-old pontiff announced during Sunday’s Angelus that doctors found a localised nodule at an early stage and advised its removal. The operation is planned at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, with recovery expected to take about one week.
Vatican City2 min read
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VATICAN CITY, 12 October 2026 — Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodule on his lung, the first major health episode of his 17-month pontificate. The 71-year-old American-born pontiff made the announcement himself during the Sunday Angelus in St Peter’s Square.
“During recent medical checks, a nodule on my lung was found. It has been detected at a very early stage and is very localised,” he said. “The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it. The operation is already planned in the coming days.”
The Vatican press office confirmed that the procedure will take place at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the facility that has treated successive popes, including John Paul II and Francis. Expected recovery time is around one week. No exact date was given beyond “the first days of the week.” On Monday the Vatican indicated admission could occur late Tuesday morning, 13 October.
Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, was elected in May 2025. He has maintained an active schedule that includes weekly tennis and swimming at Castel Gandolfo. This is the first time he has faced a hospital stay since taking office. The nodule is described as circumscribed and well-localised. Medical literature notes that most lung nodules smaller than 3 centimetres are benign, though early removal is standard practice when imaging shows a discrete mass.
The announcement came with unusual directness. Previous popes often left health details to spokesmen. Leo delivered the news in Italian during the public blessing, then thanked the crowd for their closeness and asked for prayers. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the “calmness with which he spoke” was reassuring and expressed the government’s personal closeness.
A planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November remains on the schedule for now. Leo said on Sunday he still intended to make the journey. Vatican officials have not confirmed whether the recovery window will force adjustments. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is expected to celebrate the closing Mass of a weeklong family-ministry conference on Wednesday if the pope is hospitalised.
Gemelli Hospital maintains a special papal apartment with a meeting room, kitchen, bathroom and small chapel. The setup has allowed previous pontiffs to continue limited work during recovery. Decisions requiring the pope’s signature will be paused while he is under care, though the routine functions of the Holy See continue.
For observers of the Vatican, the episode highlights two concrete shifts. First, a relatively young pope has chosen to control the medical narrative himself rather than let speculation fill the gap. Second, the early-stage finding and planned short hospital stay leave open the possibility that his November Latin American itinerary proceeds on schedule. Whether the nodule proves benign or requires further treatment will become clearer after pathology results, which the Vatican has not yet scheduled for public release.
