Pope Leo XIV has announced plans to undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a lung nodule detected at an early stage, with the Vatican expecting his recovery to take about a week.
The 71-year-old pontiff disclosed this during his weekly Angelus address in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, October 11, explaining that the growth was discovered during recent medical examinations.
“During recent medical checks, a nodule on my lung was found. It has been detected at a very early stage and is very localised,” he said.
Leo explained that his doctors had recommended surgery and that he had decided to follow their advice.
“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,” he said.
Following the announcement, the Vatican press office said the expected recovery period would be approximately one week.
The Vatican has not disclosed whether the nodule is benign or malignant.
Born in Chicago, Leo became the first American pope following the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. He was elected leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8, 2025.
Before his election, Leo was known as Robert Francis Prevost. Since becoming pontiff, he has gradually established his leadership style while addressing major global issues, including armed conflicts and the impact of artificial intelligence.
He has also emerged as a vocal critic of the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Following the outbreak of the conflict in February, Leo condemned US President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as “truly unacceptable” and urged Americans to call on their lawmakers to work for peace.
Trump subsequently criticised the pontiff as “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.” Leo responded that he had a “moral duty to speak out.”
The announcement of his planned surgery comes as the pontiff continues his leadership of the Catholic Church and engagement with pressing international issues.
