Pope Leo XIV has announced he will undergo surgery in the coming days after doctors found a nodule on his lung during a medical check-up.
“The doctors found an early, well-localised nodule on my lung,” the 71-year-old pontiff told the public during his weekly Sunday prayers in St Peter’s Square.
He said his medical team believed it would be right to intervene and that he had agreed to the operation, while reassuring pilgrims that the mass was well-contained and caught at an early stage.
The announcement comes nearly a year and a half after he succeeded the late Pope Francis, who also experienced lung issues that required hospital treatment.
Pope Leo concluded his Angelus prayer by thanking everyone for their spiritual closeness and said he entrusted himself to their prayers.
Holy See Press Office spokesman Matteo Bruni told the media that the operation is scheduled for the first days of next week. He added that the Pope is expected to take about a week to recover.
Vatican News said the operation will take place at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. The hospital has a special papal suite that has been in use since the failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in May 1981.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her personal solidarity with the Pope as he faces the ordeal ahead. Italian President Sergio Mattarella offered his sincerest wishes for a peaceful recovery and a speedy return to health. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also wished the pontiff a full and speedy recovery.
Born Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo is the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter and the first US citizen to hold the office. He was ordained in 1982 and spent years as a missionary in Peru, where he is remembered for working with marginalised communities.
During Sunday’s service, the Pope confirmed that his upcoming visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November will still go ahead. The Archbishop of Montevideo, Daniel Sturla, said preparations for the tour would continue with greater enthusiasm and called for prayers for the Pope’s recovery.
