Pope Leo said Sunday that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a small nodule found in his lung during a recent medical examination. Speaking during his noon blessing at the Vatican, the 71-year-old pontiff said doctors detected the lesion at an early stage and described it as localized.
The Vatican said the operation is scheduled for the first days of the week and that Leo is expected to recover within about a week. He thanked those gathered for their support and asked for their prayers. The Vatican has not announced a diagnosis beyond the description of the nodule.
A lung nodule is a small abnormal area that can appear on a chest or abdominal scan. Such nodules are not necessarily cancerous. According to the American Thoracic Society, fewer than five per cent of lung nodules overall prove to be cancer, though the likelihood varies with age, size and other factors.
Leo is scheduled to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from Nov. 6 to 17. It is not yet clear whether surgery will affect the trip. Before disclosing the medical finding, he referred to the planned pastoral visit and thanked Catholics for praying for it. He said he intended to go.
Elected in May 2025, Leo has no previously reported health problems and is known to play tennis and swim. He is expected to have the procedure at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, which has treated previous popes. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her support in a statement. The announcement comes less than two years after his predecessor, Pope Francis, died following a hospitalization for a respiratory illness. For now, the Vatican’s stated expectation is a recovery lasting about one week, with no further information provided about any possible changes to Leo’s schedule or his upcoming international travel.