Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove lung nodule in Rome

Vatican officials expect a one-week hospital recovery for the 71-year-old religious leader ahead of his scheduled Latin America tour.Published On 12 Oct 202612 Oct 2026Pope Leo XIV is to undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule, the Vatican has announced.The 71-year-old leader of the Catholic Church will enter Rome’s Gemelli Hospital late on Tuesday morning for the procedure, which is expected to require about a week of inpatient recovery and has forced the cancellation of upcoming papal audiences.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove lung nodulelist 2 of 3Pope Leo says AI risk concerns not ‘fake news’list 3 of 3Pope says death penalty ‘inadmissible’ as US plans to livestream executionend of listDuring his weekly blessing in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, Leo told pilgrims that a small nodule was found on his left lung during a routine checkup and said it was “well-contained” and had been spotted early.“The doctors believe it’s best to take action, so, following their advice, I’ve decided to have surgery to remove it,” he said during remarks delivered in Italian.Later, the Vatican said a week of recovery time is expected after Leo’s surger...