What to know about Pope Leo’s planned lung nodule surgery

Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media/Reuters

Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to have an operation this week to remove “a localized nodule” in his lung that was “detected at a very early stage.” It is the first medical event of his 17-month papacy.

Here is what is known:

A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 3 centimeters (about 1.2 inches) across. It is sometimes detected on a CT scan performed to investigate another problem, such as trauma or a lung infection, according to the American Cancer Society. Experts say the nodule could be benign or malignant and that prompt evaluation is important.

If the nodule is cancerous and removed at an early stage, the prognosis is “excellent,” and surgery alone may be sufficient treatment, said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Leo, 71, is considered otherwise healthy and physically fit, both positive factors for his recovery. He said the nodule was discovered during “recent medical tests,” and the Vatican said Monday that no particular health issue prompted the check-up, describing it as “routine.”

The Vatican said Leo will undergo surgery in the first days of this week, with a week of recovery expected. Oncologists who aren’t treating him said patients can often be discharged after just a few days, to recover further at home.

The exact date of his hospitalization and surgery weren’t released, but Leo had a full slate of audiences and appointments Monday morning and afternoon, suggesting that he wouldn’t leave the Vatican before Tuesday.

The pope will be treated at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, formally known as the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, a nonprofit Catholic teaching hospital that is part of the Catholic Sacred Heart University. The facility has a special apartment set up for pontiffs on the 10th floor that includes a private chapel. Leo’s immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, was treated there before his May 2025 death during a long illness prompted by a respiratory crisis.

St. John Paul II spent so much time at Gemelli that he called it “Vatican III,” after the Vatican itself and the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.

Leo has several activities scheduled this week.

In addition to his regular meetings, he is due to celebrate a public Mass on Wednesday to close a weeklong conference on family ministry. Vatican officials suggested on Sunday that he might miss it.

Leo also has a major trip planned Nov. 6-17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru . It is unclear whether the surgery and recovery will affect the ambitious itinerary, which includes a dozen flights, two helicopter rides and significant altitude changes in Peru. Leo said earlier in his remarks Sunday that he still planned to make the trip.

The Vatican has no specific rules governing who takes over if a pope becomes totally incapacitated. Even while unconscious during surgery, Leo remains pope and retains his authority.

Pope Francis remained in charge throughout his lengthy hospitalizations, as did St. John Paul II before him. Both made appointments and issued laws and statements from the hospital. A team of officials already handles day-to-day Vatican operations.

Medical advances and popes’ longer lifespans, however, have highlighted this gap in church law and prompted calls for the Vatican to prepare for a pope becoming too ill or incapacitated to govern.

Two days before revealing his planned surgery, Leo confirmed one significant appointment . On Friday, he approved Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as the new dean of the College of Cardinals. Tagle, 69, replaces Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 92, whose term Francis extended in the weeks before his death.

The dean plays a significant role in a papal transition . He presides over the previous pope’s funeral and helps lead the cardinals’ closed-door meetings before the conclave to discuss the church’s future needs. If he is under 80 when the conclave begins, he also presides over the secret election of a new pope in the Sistine Chapel.

The Vatican released a letter Leo wrote to Re on Sunday — the day of his announcement — thanking him for his lifelong service to the church. He noted in particular the role that Re played in the recent papal transition, when he celebrated Francis’ funeral.

“I do not think I am mistaken in saying that you, Your Eminence, have been and remain one of the Holy See’s best-known and most esteemed servants,” Leo wrote.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

西蒙·里索鲁蒂/梵蒂冈媒体/路透社

教宗利奥十四世本周将接受手术，切除肺部“早期发现的局部结节”。这是他17个月教宗任期内的首次医疗事件。

以下是已知的情况：

肺结节是指直径小于3厘米（约1.2英寸）的微小异常区域。据美国癌症协会称，肺结节有时会在因其他问题（例如外伤或肺部感染）进行的CT扫描中被发现。专家表示，肺结节可能是良性也可能是恶性，因此及时评估至关重要。

乔治城大学隆巴迪综合癌症中心肺癌专家斯蒂芬·刘博士表示，如果结节是恶性的，并且在早期阶段被切除，预后“非常好”，仅手术治疗可能就足够了。

现年71岁的利奥三世身体健康，体格健壮，这对他康复大有裨益。他表示，这个结节是在“最近的体检”中发现的。梵蒂冈周一表示，此次体检并非出于任何特定的健康问题，而是“例行检查”。

梵蒂冈方面表示，利奥将于本周初接受手术，预计术后需要一周时间恢复。其他未参与利奥治疗的肿瘤科医生表示，患者通常术后几天即可出院，回家继续休养。

虽然没有公布利奥的住院和手术的具体日期，但他周一上午和下午的接见和预约安排得满满当当，这表明他周二之前不会离开梵蒂冈。

教宗将在罗马杰梅利医院接受治疗，该医院正式名称为阿戈斯蒂诺·杰梅利综合诊所，是一家非营利性天主教教学医院，隶属于天主教圣心大学。医院十楼设有专门为教宗准备的套房，内设私人小教堂。利奥的前任教宗方济各曾在此接受治疗，后于2025年5月因呼吸系统危机引发的长期疾病去世。

圣若望保禄二世在杰梅利度过了很长一段时间，以至于他将其称为“梵蒂冈第三届大公会议”，这个名字来源于梵蒂冈本身以及教皇在冈道尔夫堡的夏季住所。

Leo本周安排了多项活动。

除了例行会晤外，他原定于周三主持一场公开弥撒，为为期一周的家庭牧灵研讨会画上句号。梵蒂冈官员周日暗示他可能缺席。

莱奥还计划于11月6日至17日进行一次重要的乌拉圭、阿根廷和秘鲁之行。目前尚不清楚手术和康复是否会影响这项雄心勃勃的行程安排，其中包括十几次飞行、两次直升机行程以及在秘鲁境内经历显著的海拔变化。莱奥在周日早些时候的讲话中表示，他仍然计划进行此次旅行。

梵蒂冈没有具体规定教宗完全丧失行为能力时由谁接任。即使在手术中处于昏迷状态，利奥三世仍然是教宗，并保留着他的权力。

教宗方济各在漫长的住院期间一直掌管着梵蒂冈，正如他之前的圣若望保禄二世一样。他们都曾在医院里任命官员、颁布法令并发表声明。目前，梵蒂冈的日常运作已由一个官员团队负责。

然而，医学的进步和教皇寿命的延长，凸显了教会法中的这一漏洞，并促使人们呼吁梵蒂冈做好准备，以应对教皇因病重或丧失能力而无法执政的情况。

在宣布手术计划的两天前，利奥十世确认了一项重要任命。周五，他批准菲律宾籍枢机主教路易斯·安东尼奥·塔格莱（Luis Antonio Tagle）出任枢机团新任团长。现年69岁的塔格莱接替了92岁的乔瓦尼·巴蒂斯塔·雷（Giovanni Battista Re）枢机主教，后者在去世前几周，教宗方济各延长了他的任期。

教长在教宗更迭中扮演着重要角色。他主持前任教宗的葬礼，并在教宗选举会议召开前协助枢机主教们举行闭门会议，讨论教会的未来需求。如果教宗选举会议开始时他未满80岁，他还将在西斯廷教堂主持新教宗的秘密选举。

梵蒂冈于周日——也就是利奥宣布就职的当天——公布了一封他写给雷的信，感谢雷毕生为教会服务。信中特别提到了雷在最近的教宗交接中发挥的作用，当时他主持了方济各的葬礼。

“我认为我说您，阁下，过去是、现在仍然是圣座最知名、最受尊敬的仆人之一，应该没有错，”利奥写道。

美联社的宗教报道得到了美联社与The Conversation US的合作支持，资金来自礼来基金会。美联社对此内容负全部责任。