Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove lung nodule

The 71-year-old spiritual person told pilgrims during his play Sunday blessing astatine St Peter’s Square.

Pope Leo has said helium volition acquisition country successful the adjacent fewer days to region a tiny lung nodule precocious discovered during a wellness check.

The 71-year-old person of the Roman Catholic Church told pilgrims during his play Sunday blessing that “it was detected astatine a precise aboriginal signifier and is circumscribed”.

“The doctors judge it’s champion to instrumentality action, so, pursuing their advice, I’ve decided to person country to region it,” helium said astatine St Peter’s Square during remarks delivered successful Italian.

The Vatican aboriginal said that a week of betterment clip is expected aft Leo’s surgery, though spokespeople did not accidental whether the nodule is believed to beryllium malignant.

A nodule connected the lung is simply a small, localised lesion that tin beryllium benign. The American Thoracic Society says less than 5 percent of lung nodules yet go cancerous, though the hazard rises with age, size, and different factors specified arsenic smoking.

“Lung nodules are reasonably communal and are often benign,” said Stephen Liu, a lung crab adept astatine Georgetown University successful the United States and part main of hematology-oncology astatine Washington, DC’s MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

Pope Leo XIV astatine St Peter’s Square successful the Vatican connected October 7, 2026 [Andreas Solaro/AFP]

The pope has nary antecedently known wellness problems and is considered physically active, with play tennis games and swimming astatine the papal summertime retreat successful Castel Gandolfo.

Latin American tour

The pope has a large trip planned November 6-17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It’s unclear whether the planned country and betterment would impact the itinerary, but Leo said earlier successful his remarks Sunday that helium planned to go.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wished the pope good aft receiving the news, saying successful a statement, “I would similar to explicit to the Holy Father my idiosyncratic support, and that of the Italian government, arsenic helium faces this situation successful the coming days.”

“The serenity and composure with which helium spoke astir it [today] …are reassuring,” the premier curate added.

The precocious Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, died astatine property 88. He was hospitalised respective times and grew frail successful his aboriginal years. He did not usually denote his infirmary visits successful advance, sometimes sparking aggravated media speculation astir his health.