Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove nodule on lung

Pope Leo XIV has said that he will undergo surgery to remove a nodule on his lung, the Vatican has announced. The pope said it was found in an early stage and was "circumscribed." He said surgery was scheduled in the coming days.The 71-year-old Leo made the announcement during his Sunday noon blessing. He said to those gathering for Sunday prayers outside of the Vatican, “Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, doctors found a localized nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well localized. The doctors believe surgery is appropriate. Following their advice, I have therefore decided to undergo an operation to remove it. “The operation is already scheduled for the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.”In a statement published by the Vatican News, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, specified that "the operation is scheduled for the first days of next week and the estimated post-operative recovery time will be about one week."Pope Leo XIV’s operation is scheduled for early next week, The Vatican said (Reuters)Pope Leo XIV has a major trip planned November 6 to 17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It’s unclear whether the recovery from the surgery would affect the itinerary.The American pope has no previously known health problems and is known to be physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.The Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost was appointed Pope Leo XIV in May 2025 and made history as the Church’s first American pontiff. An Augustinian friar, he is also a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.His predecessor, the late Pope Francis, died ⁠at age 88 and was increasingly frail in his later years.On Saturday, Pope Leo declared capital punishment ''inadmissible" just as his native United States government announced plans to livestream an execution by firing squad.In a post on X, the American pope quoted the revised Catholic teaching on capital punishment ushered in by Pope Francis that the death penalty attacks the inherent dignity of a human being.“The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment," read the post under Leo's official handle, @Pontifex. "Effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption.”As Pope, Leo has also condemned Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies, describing the administration's treatment of foreigners living in the United States as “extremely disrespectful” in November last year.