Pope León XIV announced this Sunday, after the Angelus prayer at the Vatican, that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodule from a lung. He said doctors detected it at a very early stage.
The pontiff himself announced the news from the window of the Apostolic Palace, before thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, CNN Chile reported. "Recently, during some checkups, doctors found a circumscribed nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well localized," he said.
He added that doctors "consider it appropriate to operate" and that, following their advice, he had decided to undergo surgery. He closed his message by thanking the faithful for their "spiritual closeness" and asking for their prayers.
A lung nodule is a small area of abnormal tissue in the lung that usually appears on imaging scans. Being "circumscribed" means it has defined edges. So far, the nature of the nodule and a more specific diagnosis have not been disclosed, and the Vatican has not specified whether it is benign or malignant.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni clarified in response to press inquiries that the operation is scheduled for the first few days of next week and that the postoperative hospital stay will last approximately a week. The surgery will take place at Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where the Vatican has had a private apartment since the eighties, during the time of John Paul II.
A T13 report published after the initial announcement said the date, medical center and recovery time were still unknown. Spokesman Bruni provided those details later.
This will be León XIV’s first operation as pontiff. Born in the United States and holding Peruvian citizenship following his years as a missionary and bishop in that country, he was elected in May 2025 to succeed Francis. He turned 71 on September 14.
The surgery will require him to suspend his Vatican schedule while he recovers. It comes less than a month before his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for November 6 to 17. Chile is not among the destinations on the tour.
His words on Sunday suggest the trip is still going ahead. Before the announcement, he greeted the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles in Rome, which brought an altar bearing that image, widely venerated in Peru, to the square. "Thank you for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru," he said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was the first official to react. She expressed her personal support and that of her government, stressing that "his serenity and calm during the Angelus reassure us".
