Pope Leo XIV says he will have surgery to remove a lung nodule
The pope told pilgrims at the Sunday Angelus that doctors found a nodule in his lung during routine checkups and that he will have surgery early next week at Rome's Gemelli hospital
Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a lung nodule found during routine medical checkups. He made the announcement at the end of the Sunday Angelus, before the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
"The doctors have found a nodule located in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and it is well localized," the pope said. "The doctors consider it advisable to operate and so, following their advice, I have decided to have surgery to remove it."
Surgery at the Gemelli hospital
The operation is set for the first days of next week at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, the hospital that has long treated popes. Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said the expected recovery period after the surgery will be about a week.
The pope told the pilgrims that the mass is "well contained" and was found "at an early stage."
The pope thanks the faithful for their prayers
After the announcement, the pope thanked everyone in the square, and those following the broadcast around the world, for "your spiritual closeness." "I entrust myself to your prayers," he said.
The pope confirmed that his apostolic trip to Latin America will go ahead despite the surgery. The visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, set for November 6 to 17, remains on the schedule. "Thank you for your prayers, for the pastoral visit I will make in Peru," he told pilgrims during the Angelus.
Support from the Church in Italy
The Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) sent a message of support after the announcement. Through its president, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the CEI said the country's Church communities will remember the pope in their celebrations and in prayer.
"We thank Pope Leo for the simplicity and the trust with which he has shared this trial with us. We are a family: Holy Father, you are not alone!" Zuppi said.
Italian officials also offered support. President Sergio Mattarella sent his "cordial remembrance," and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was comforted by the "serenity and calm" with which the pope announced the surgery.
The movement Communion and Liberation invited people to pray the Holy Rosary in community and in families for the pope's health, "so that he may continue to carry out the task entrusted to him for the unity of the whole Church and for the proclamation of the peace that Christ brings to the world."
