Pope Leo XIV to undergo surgery after doctors find lung nodule

Pope Leo XIV, 71, announced Oct. 11 that doctors have discovered a small, localized nodule in one of his lungs and he is scheduled for surgery in a few days.

“It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized. The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it,” the Pontiff said in a post on X. “The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.”

The Pope also shared the news in Italian in his Angelus message. He did not mention symptoms or a diagnosis and he did not indicate that he will cancel his upcoming pastoral visit to Peru. 

ABC News reported that the Pontiff said while greeting a Peruvian Catholic group that he is grateful for their prayers for his upcoming apostolic visit to their country. His trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru is scheduled for Nov. 6–17, the news outlet reported.

According to Vatican News, the Pope will receive the surgery at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome. This is the medical facility that has been commonly used by popes, including Pope Francis, as ABC News reported.

This is the first major publicly disclosed health development of his pontificate.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said the operation is scheduled “for the first days of this week and the estimated post-operative recovery time will be about one week,” Vatican News reported.

Surgical removal does not by itself mean the nodule is cancerous. According to the American Lung Association, most lung nodules, which are small amounts of dense tissue that appear as white spots on a chest X-ray or CT scan, are benign, but doctors may recommend further testing or removal when a nodule appears suspicious. Surgery is also commonly used for cancerous nodules that are detected while small and localized. Scar tissue, lung irritants or air pollution, inflammatory conditions from certain diseases, infections, and cancer are among the causes of lung nodules.

Dr. Stephen Liu, of Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, said that even if the lung nodule is cancerous, the Pontiff’s prognosis is “excellent” because of its early stage, according to AP News. Liu told AP News that, absent complications, the planned November trip could remain medically feasible.

The news outlet also reported that Pope Leo has no previously known health problems and plays tennis weekly and swims at Castel Gandolfo.

A message of joy before a personal trial

The health announcement came immediately after an Angelus reflection on Christian joy amid rejection and difficulty.

Reflecting on Christ’s parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14, Pope Leo described the king’s banquet as an image of God’s generosity. The king wants his joy to be shared, but the invited guests reject the invitation. Rather than cancel the feast, the king sends his servants farther afield so that still more people can take part.

According to Pope Leo, the parable offers a lesson about Christian witness. Goodness naturally seeks to spread itself, but efforts to do good will not always be welcomed or understood.

“For the good we offer to do is not always understood, recognized or appreciated.  Indeed, at times, it is willfully misinterpreted and rejected,” the Pope said. “Yet this must not discourage us.”

The Pope said the joy the Church proclaims is “profound, concrete and real.”

“It is as beautiful as the faces of the people we meet. It is as genuine as the work, the smiles, the tears, the handshakes, and the acts of kindness that fill our days. It is a gift of God for the salvation of the world.”

Christian joy, according to the Pontiff, is rooted in the conviction that Christ remains present in ordinary human life — in work, relationships, tears, acts of kindness, and the daily opportunities people have to love one another.

Pope Leo also connected the wedding feast with the life of the Church. Drawing on St. Jerome, he identified the king with God the Father, the bridegroom with Christ and the bride with the Church. Christians themselves are not merely spectators at the banquet, he explained, but participants invited into communion with Christ through Baptism and called to make that invitation visible through good works.

Leaders respond to Pope’s request for prayers

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the nation’s bishops were joining Catholics and “all people of good will” in praying for the Pontiff’s health.

“May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician Jesus Christ,” Coakley said. “Please find a moment today, as I will, to offer a prayer for Pope Leo and his care team.”

Prayers and expressions of solidarity also came from bishops and Catholic communities around the world, including Church leaders in countries Pope Leo is scheduled to visit in November.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed solidarity with the Pope in a statement.

"The serenity and calm with which he spoke about it during today's Angelus are a source of comfort to us," Meloni said in Italian, according to ABC News. "I am certain that the Italian people, too, will not fail to offer their support and affection."

Pope appeals for Ukraine, honors newly beatified sister

Following the Angelus, Pope Leo also drew attention to several international and Church concerns.

He celebrated the beatification in Mantua of Sister Maria Ignazia Isacchi, founder of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, recalling her service to the poor and disadvantaged in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“May her example rekindle in all of us the desire to be witnesses in the world of the love of the Gospel toward everyone,” the Pontiff remarked.

The pope also renewed his concern for Ukraine, appealing for the safe transportation of grain through the Black Sea. The war’s effects, he warned, extend well beyond Ukraine and particularly harm poorer countries that depend on imported grain.

“The daily bread of millions of people cannot be held hostage by the war,” he said.

The Pope concluded his remarks by thanking the faithful for their closeness and entrusting his upcoming surgery to their prayers.