Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday that he will undergo surgery to remove a nodule found on his lung during recent medical checks, his first health scare since being elected in May 2025.
The Vatican later said the surgery would take place in the first days of the week, with an expected recovery time of about a week. The American pope is expected to be treated at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where previous pontiffs including Pope Francis were cared for and where a special apartment is reserved for popes.
Addressing pilgrims in St Peter's Square during his weekly Sunday noon blessing, Leo said the nodule was detected at an early stage and was "circumscribed" or well-localised.
"Recently, during some medical examinations, doctors found a localised nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well contained," he said. "The doctors believe it is advisable to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it. The operation is already scheduled for the next few days."
The Vatican did not say whether the nodule is believed to be malignant. A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 3 centimetres that may appear on a CT scan. The American Thoracic Society says fewer than 5 per cent of lung nodules prove cancerous, though risk increases with age, size and factors such as smoking.
Leo, who is relatively young for a Church leader, has no previously known health problems and is considered physically active, playing weekly tennis and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo. He is not known to be a smoker.
A major trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is scheduled from November 6 to 17. It remains unclear whether the surgery and recovery period will affect the itinerary, but the pope said on Sunday that he still planned to go.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her support and that of the Italian government, saying in a statement that "the serenity and calm with which he spoke about it" were reassuring.
Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, died on April 21, 2025, of a stroke following a long hospitalisation from 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.