Pope Leo XIV has announced that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodular lesion in his lung recently discovered during medical checks.
The 71-year-old said the nodule was detected at an early stage and was “contained” or well localized. The Vatican later said Leo would undergo surgery in the first days of this week, with an expected recovery time of one week.
The American pope made the announcement during his Sunday noon blessing. He thanked the crowd for their closeness and entrusted himself to their prayers.
A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 3 cm (1 in) that sometimes appears on a CT scan of the chest or abdomen, according to the American Cancer Society. Often, the tests are done to investigate lung trauma or infection, unrelated to lung cancer screening.
Leo has no previously known health problems and is considered physically active, with weekly tennis matches and swimming at the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo.
The pope is planning an extended trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17. It’s unclear whether the planned surgery and recovery will affect the itinerary, but Leo said earlier in his remarks Sunday that he plans to go.
In his speech, delivered in Italian, Leo said that during a recent medical examination, “doctors found a small nodule localized in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is circumscribed. The doctors think it is best to act, so, following their advice, I decided to undergo surgery to remove it.
“The operation is already planned for the next few days. Thank you for your spiritual support and I entrust myself to your prayers.”
Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, died on April 21, 2025 of a stroke after a long hospitalization caused by a respiratory attack that turned into double pneumonia. Francis suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of a lung removed as a young man.
Leo is expected to have surgery at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where Francis and popes before him were treated and where there is a special apartment for pontiffs.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was among the few foreigners to visit Francis during his long final hospitalization, expressed her and the Italian government’s support for Leo “as he faces this challenge in the coming days.” In a statement, she added that “the serenity and calm with which he spoke about it” was reassuring.
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