Pope Leo XIV says he will have surgery this week to remove an early-stage nodule doctors found in his lung

What happened

Pope Leo XIV announced Sunday, Oct. 11, that he will have surgery this week to remove a nodule found in his lung, according to CBS News, NPR and the Associated Press. The 71-year-old said doctors found it during recent medical checks at an early stage and described it as "circumscribed," meaning small and well-localized, the AP reported.

The AP called it the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. Leo, the American pope, made the announcement himself during his weekly Sunday noon blessing in St. Peter's Square.

What the pope and the Vatican said

"The doctors believe it's best to take action," Leo told the crowd, according to CBS News, adding that he had decided to follow their advice and have the nodule removed. He thanked the faithful for their prayers and later posted the message on social media, NPR reported.

Timing and hospital

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said in a statement that the operation is scheduled for the first days of this week and that recovery should take about one week, NPR reported. The surgery is expected at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where earlier popes were treated and where there is a special apartment for pontiffs. The AP reported no obvious sign on Sunday that Leo had already been admitted.

Effect on his schedule

Leo has a trip planned Nov. 6-17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, and he said Sunday he still planned to go, according to CBS News and the AP. It is unclear whether the surgery will affect the itinerary. The AP also reported that Vatican officials suggested he might miss a closing Mass on Wednesday for a weeklong conference on family ministry.

What doctors say about lung nodules

According to the American Cancer Society, as cited by the AP, a lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 3 centimeters that sometimes shows up on a CT scan done for other reasons. Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos of Johns Hopkins told NPR that nodules are common in older adults and that "the majority of lung nodules are benign."

Why surgery

Galiatsatos told NPR that a decision to remove a nodule suggests one of the pope's tests crossed a threshold that raised concern for cancer. Dr. Stephen Liu of Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center told the AP that surgical removal is standard in such cases and can provide a definitive diagnosis, since a needle biopsy can be difficult and may not give enough information.

If it turns out to be cancer

Liu told the AP the prognosis would be "excellent" if the nodule is cancerous, because it was caught early, and said "it often can be a blessing in disguise to remove that cancer before it has a chance to grow or to spread." Dr. Dionysis Papadatos-Pastos of The London Clinic said a well-circumscribed nodule is less likely to be cancer, but added, "The worst thing you can do is ignore a lung nodule." Leo is not known to be a smoker, and Liu noted that 1 in 5 people diagnosed with lung cancer have no smoking history.

Dr. Massimo Di Maio, president of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology, told Italy's Sky TG24 that it will be important to determine whether the nodule is benign or malignant, the AP reported. He said possible treatments can include chemotherapy and radiation therapy depending on what is found, and noted he has not treated the pope.

A different approach to papal health news

The AP described the announcement as an unusual display of transparency. The AP reported that information about Pope Francis' illnesses was released in a dizzying and sometimes problematic way, including a March 2023 hospital visit first described as scheduled tests that turned out to involve chest pain and bronchitis. Francis died April 21, 2025, of a stroke after a long hospitalization, according to CBS News.

Leo has no previously known health problems and plays tennis weekly, CBS News and the AP reported. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni offered her government's support, the AP said. In the same Sunday address, Leo renewed calls for peace in Ukraine, and on Saturday he called for the death penalty to be abolished, NPR reported. More national coverage is on our Nation page.

What to watch next

• The surgery at Gemelli Hospital, which the Vatican said is scheduled for the first days of this week.
• Whether Leo attends Wednesday's closing Mass for the family ministry conference, which Vatican officials suggested he might miss.
• Whether the nodule is benign or malignant, which Dr. Massimo Di Maio told Italy's Sky TG24 will be important to determine.
• Whether the Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru goes ahead as planned.