Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery to remove a nodule on his lung

Pope Leo XIV has announced he will undergo surgery to remove a nodular lesion on his lungByNICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press and COLLEEN BARRY Associated PressOctober 11, 2026, 6:20 AMVATICAN CITY -- Pope Leo XIV announced Sunday he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodular lesion on his lung that was recently discovered during medical checks.The 71-year-old pope said the nodule was found at an early stage and was “circumscribed” or well-localized. The Vatican later said Leo would undergo surgery in the first days of the week, with an expected recovery time of a week. The American pope made the announcement during his Sunday noon blessing. He thanked the crowd for their closeness and entrusted himself to their prayers.A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 3 centimeters (1 inch) that sometimes appears on a CT scan of the chest or abdomen, according to the American Cancer Society. Often, the scans are done to investigate trauma or a lung infection, unrelated to a lung cancer screening.Leo has no previously known health problems and is considered physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolf...