Pope Leo XIV stood before the faithful at his traditional Sunday noon blessing in St. Peter's Square and disclosed that doctors had found a nodule on his lung. “The doctors found an early, well-localised nodule on my lung,” he said.
The 71-year-old pontiff said the finding had come during recent medical checks and that it was well localised. His medical team “believe it would be right to intervene”, he said, and he had agreed to an operation.
Recent examinations had identified the nodular lesion, and doctors determined that it was early-stage and well-localised before recommending surgery to remove it.
The operation will take place at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. Matteo Bruni, the Holy See Press Office spokesman, said it was scheduled for the first days of next week and that the Pope was expected to need about a week to recover.
Leo said his planned November visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru would still go ahead.
The Pope, born Robert Francis Provost, is the first US citizen to hold the office. He was ordained in 1982, spent years as a missionary in Peru and succeeded the late Pope Francis nearly a year-and-a-half ago.
He is the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter.
Messages of support came from Italian and Israeli leaders. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “personal solidarity” with the Pope as he “faces the ordeal ahead in the coming days”.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella offered his “sincerest wishes for a peaceful recovery and a speedy and full return to health”. Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, wished the pontiff “a full and speedy recovery”.
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