Pope Leo to undergo surgery in coming days after nodule discovered on his lung

Pontiff says it was detected at an early stage and procedure will take place in the first days of this weekPope Leo XIV has said 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 said the nodule was found at an early stage and was “circumscribed” or well localised. The Vatican later said Leo would undergo surgery in the first days of this week, with an expected recovery time of a week. The pontiff said he would be operated on "in the coming days" to remove a lung nodule, which he said was found at "a very early stage."

(CNN) — Pope Leo XIV has announced he will undergo surgery to remove a localized lung nodule. “During some checkups, doctors discovered a localized nodule on my lung,” the 71-year-old pope told those gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer on Sunday. “It was detected at a very early stage and is well-defined.

The doctors deem it advisable to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it.” A lung nodule is a small mass of dense tissue on the lung and most are noncancerous. Pope Leo said the surgery was planned in the “coming days,” with a Vatican spokesman clarifying that the procedure was scheduled for early next week and that he would need a week in hospital to recover. Leo is relatively young for a pope, and is generally seen to be in good health.

He plays tennis and remains physically active. Leo XIV is preparing for a major visit to Latin America on Nov. 6-17 where he is scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

The pope has a demanding daily schedule of meetings and public events, although on Tuesday takes a day off at the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo. This is a developing story and will be updated. The-CNN-Wire & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — 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.