Pope León XIV will be admitted to Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Italy, this Tuesday, October 13, to undergo surgery. Doctors will remove a circumscribed nodule, meaning a small, clearly defined lesion, detected in one of his lungs.
According to ADN Radio, the Holy See Press Office confirmed his admission. It is scheduled for late morning, around noon. The Vatican has yet to officially confirm the day or time of the operation, which could take place on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday.
The pontiff himself announced the procedure on Sunday, after the Angelus prayer, from the window of the Apostolic Palace. He explained that the lesion was detected at a very early stage and is well localized. "The doctors consider it appropriate to intervene," he said, as reported by La Tercera.
A lung nodule is a small abnormal area of tissue that often appears on imaging scans. The sources do not specify its nature or whether it is benign or malignant. The Holy See stated only that it was found during a routine medical examination.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican Press Office, said the hospital stay following surgery was expected to last approximately a week.
León XIV, aged 71, holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. On Monday, he continued his schedule as usual. According to Cooperativa, he held seven audiences, including with the president of the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference, Carlos Enrique Herrera Gutiérrez, and Argentine Archbishop Jorge Eduardo Lozano.
From Chile, President José Antonio Kast posted on X that he is keeping the pope in his prayers. He also wished him a successful operation and a "speedy and satisfactory recovery".
The surgery comes less than a month before the pontiff's first tour of Latin America, scheduled for November 6 to 17, with visits to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. Chile is not on that itinerary. So far, the Vatican has announced no changes to the trip as a result of the procedure.
