Pope Leo XIV to undergo surgery after nodular lesion found in lung, Vatican says

Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery this week after a nodular lesion was found in his lung, the Vatican said. Recovery is expected to take a week.

Leo, 71, said Sunday that doctors recently discovered the nodular lesion during medical checks. He said it was found in an early stage and was “circumscribed.”

“The doctors believe it’s best to take action, so, following their advice, I’ve decided to have surgery to remove it,” Leo said in remarks during his Sunday noon blessing. “Thank you for your spiritual support, and I entrust myself to your prayers.”

A statement by Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni didn’t say when the pope would be hospitalized but that it would be in the “first days” of the week. He was expected to be treated at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which has a special apartment for the pope.

The pope has a major trip planned Nov. 6-17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It’s unclear whether the planned surgery and recovery would affect the itinerary, but Leo said earlier in his remarks Sunday that he planned to go.

The American pope has no previously known health problems and is known to be physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, died April 21, 2025, of a stroke following a long hospitalization brought on by a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. Francis suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man.