Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove lung nodule in Rome

Vatican officials expect a one-week hospital recovery for the 71-year-old religious leader ahead of his scheduled Latin America tour.

Pope Leo leads the Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, October 11, 2026 [Elisabetta Trevisan/­Handout via Reuters]

Pope Leo XIV is to undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule, the Vatican has announced.

The 71-year-old pontiff will enter Rome’s Gemelli Hospital late on Tuesday morning for the procedure, which is expected to require about a week of inpatient recovery and has forced the cancellation of upcoming papal audiences.

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During his weekly blessing in St. Peter’s square on Sunday , Leo told pilgrims that a small nodule was found on his left lung during a routine check-up and said it was “well-contained” and had been spotted early.

“The doctors believe it’s best to take action, so, following their advice, I’ve decided to have surgery to remove it,” he said at St Peter’s Square during remarks delivered in Italian.

Later, the Vatican said a week of recovery time is expected after Leo’s surgery and his audiences have been cancelled until October 20.

Spokespeople did not clarify whether the nodule is believed to be malignant.

The pope has no reported history of serious illness and is considered physically active, routinely swimming and playing tennis.

The upcoming surgery comes ahead of an official Latin America tour scheduled for November 6–17, with stops planned across Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru.

Whether the operation and subsequent recovery will force changes to the itinerary remains unclear, though the pontiff told reporters on Sunday that he intends to make the journey.

The late Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, died at age 88. Francis was hospitalised several times and grew frail in his later years. He did not usually announce his hospital visits in advance, sometimes sparking intense media speculation about his health .

梵蒂冈官员预计这位71岁的宗教领袖将在医院休养一周，之后将按计划进行拉丁美洲之行。

2026年10月11日，教宗良一世在梵蒂冈宗座宫的窗口带领信众诵念《三钟经》[Elisabetta Trevisan/路透社供图]

梵蒂冈宣布，教宗利奥十四世将接受手术切除肺部结节。

这位 71 岁的教宗将于周二上午晚些时候进入罗马杰梅利医院接受手术，预计需要住院治疗一周左右才能康复，这也导致即将举行的教宗接见活动被迫取消。

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周日，利奥在圣彼得广场进行每周例行祝福时告诉朝圣者，在一次例行检查中，他的左肺上发现了一个小结节，并表示该结节“控制得很好”，而且发现得早。

“医生们认为最好采取行动，所以，听从他们的建议，我决定接受手术将其切除，”他在圣彼得广场用意大利语发表讲话时说道。

随后，梵蒂冈表示，利奥三世手术后预计需要一周的恢复时间，他的接见活动已取消至10月20日。

发言人没有说明该结节是否被认为是恶性的。

教皇没有被报道患有严重疾病，而且身体健康，经常游泳和打网球。

即将进行的手术是在他正式开启拉丁美洲巡回演出之前进行的，该演出计划于 11 月 6 日至 17 日举行，演出地点包括乌拉圭、阿根廷和秘鲁。

手术及后续康复是否会导致行程变更尚不清楚，不过教皇周日告诉记者，他打算进行此次旅行。

已故教宗方济各，即利奥的前任，享年88岁。方济各曾多次住院，晚年身体日渐虚弱。他通常不会提前宣布就医计划，这有时会引发媒体对其健康状况的诸多猜测。