What We Know About Pope Leo XIV’s Upcoming Lung Operation
What We Know About Pope Leo XIV's Upcoming Lung Operation
Pope Leo XIV has announced he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodule discovered on his lung, the first major health issue of his 17-month pontificate.
The 71-year-old American-born pontiff made the announcement on Sunday, October 11, during his weekly Angelus prayer 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, Pope Leo said in Italian. "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.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the operation is scheduled for the first days of this week at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the hospital that has traditionally treated popes. It has a special apartment for pontiffs on the 10th floor.
Bruni said the estimated post-operative recovery time will be about one week. The Vatican said on Monday that the nodule was found during routine medical checks, not prompted by any particular symptom.
The Vatican has not said whether the nodule is believed to be malignant. Doctors note that lung nodules are common and often benign. The American Thoracic Society says fewer than 5% prove cancerous, though risk rises with age.
Pope Leo, elected in May 2025 as the first US-born pope, is considered healthy and active, playing tennis and swimming. It is unclear if the surgery will affect his planned 11-day tour to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, but he told faithful he still plans to travel.
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