Pope Leo XIV announced Sunday that he will undergo surgery to remove a nodule discovered in his lung, marking the first major health concern for the 71-year-old pontiff since he became the leader of the Catholic Church last year.
Leo revealed the diagnosis during his weekly Sunday blessing in St. Peter’s Square, telling worshippers that doctors discovered the abnormal growth during a recent examination and recommended its removal.
“It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized,” Leo said, according to a Vatican translation of his remarks. “The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it. The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days.”
The Vatican said the operation is scheduled for early this week at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where the pope is expected to remain for approximately one week while recovering.
The Vatican has not disclosed whether the nodule is cancerous or provided additional details about its size or characteristics.
Lung nodules are small abnormal growths that can be discovered during routine medical imaging. While some are cancerous, many are benign and can result from infections, inflammation, or scar tissue, according to the American Cancer Society.
Leo, the first American-born pope, has no publicly known history of serious health problems and maintains an active lifestyle that includes playing tennis and swimming.
His planned surgery comes less than a month before a scheduled trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6-17. The Vatican has not announced changes to the itinerary, and Leo indicated Sunday that he still intends to travel.
The announcement also comes a day after Leo weighed in on a controversial execution planned in his homeland.
On Saturday, the pope reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s opposition to capital punishment, calling the death penalty “inadmissible” in a social media post marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty.
His remarks followed the Pentagon’s announcement that the Dec. 3 execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, will be livestreamed. Leo did not address Hasan’s case directly.
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Leo’s upcoming surgery also recalls the health struggles of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who was hospitalized at Gemelli for more than a month in 2025 after developing double pneumonia.
Francis, who had suffered from chronic respiratory problems and had part of his lung removed as a young man, died April 21, 2025, at age 88, following a stroke.