Pope Leo admitted to hospital to remove growth on lung

Stefano Spaziani/dpa/picture alliance/AP

Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to the hospital for surgery to remove a small growth on his lung, in what is his first stay in hospital since the start of his pontificate.

The 71-year-old pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday that doctors had discovered a “nodule” on his lung, which he had been advised to have removed. A nodule is a mass of dense tissue that is often benign. Leo said on Sunday that the growth had been detected “at a very early stage” and was “well-contained.”

The surgery will take place Tuesday afternoon at the Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic hospital in northwest Rome, a private medical facility that has a long association with the Vatican. The hospital has a special suite of rooms for the pope on the 10th floor, which Pope John Paul II famously dubbed “Vatican three” during his frequent stays there – St. Peter’s being Vatican One and the papal residence Castel Gandolfo, Vatican two. Pope Francis also spent an extended period there early last year when he was treated for pneumonia.

The pontiff has cancelled all his public events until October 20.

“Surgeries to remove a nodule are usually minimally invasive with a low rate of complications,” said Dr. Matthew Triplette, medical director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program and specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine. He added that patients normally stay in hospital for a few days and then continue their recovery at home.

The Vatican will continue to function while the pope is in hospital although anything requiring his signature will need to be postponed. A spokesman said Sunday that the pope will need about a week to recover following the operation.

The Vatican has no specific rules on how the leadership of the Catholic Church is transferred should the pope be incapacitated. Even if he is unconscious and undergoing surgery, the pontiff retains full papal authority.

Both Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II issued laws and statements while they were being hospitalized. Day-to-day Vatican operations are already handled by a separate team.

The pope kept his normal busy schedule Monday, holding back-to-back meetings in the morning before participating in a gathering of bishops and church leaders in the Vatican.

News of the first American pope’s surgery has led to an outpouring of well-wishes across the world, including from those visiting Rome. “We’re just hoping that his procedure is going to go well,” said Paul Kavulich, who was visiting Rome on a pilgrimage with his daughter on Monday and is from the pope’s hometown of Chicago. “And he’s got God with him – no doubt about that.”

The Vatican press office said the growth on the pope’s lung was discovered during “routine tests.” Leo is not known to have any underlying health problems, and he likes to keep active by playing tennis and going swimming.

斯特凡诺·斯帕齐亚尼/德新社/图片联盟/美联社

教宗利奥十四世因肺部小肿块接受手术切除而入院，这是他自就任教宗以来首次住院。

71岁的教宗利奥周日在圣彼得广场向聚集的人群表示，医生在他的肺部发现了一个“结节”，建议他将其切除。结节是由致密组织构成的肿块，通常是良性的。利奥周日表示，这个肿块是在“非常早期”就被发现的，而且“控制得很好”。

手术将于周二下午在罗马西北部的阿戈斯蒂诺·杰梅利大学医院进行。这家私立医院与梵蒂冈有着长期的合作关系。医院十楼设有教宗专用套房，教宗若望保禄二世曾多次在此居住，并将其戏称为“梵蒂冈三号”——圣伯多禄大殿被称为“梵蒂冈一号”，教宗官邸冈道尔夫堡被称为“梵蒂冈二号”。教宗方济各去年年初也曾因肺炎在此长期居住。

教宗已取消所有公开活动，直至10月20日。

“切除肺结节的手术通常是微创手术，并发症发生率很低，”肺癌筛查项目医疗主任、肺科和重症监护医学专家马修·特里普莱特医生说。他补充道，患者通常住院几天，然后回家继续康复。

教宗住院期间，梵蒂冈将继续运转，但任何需要教宗签字的事项都将推迟。一位发言人周日表示，教宗手术后大约需要一周时间恢复。

梵蒂冈没有关于教宗丧失行为能力时天主教会领导权如何交接的具体规定。即使教宗处于昏迷状态并接受手术，他仍然保留全部教宗权力。

教宗方济各和教宗若望保禄二世在住院期间都颁布了法令并发表了声明。梵蒂冈的日常运作已由一个独立的团队负责。

教皇周一依然保持着繁忙的日程，上午连续举行了多场会议，之后又在梵蒂冈参加了主教和教会领袖的聚会。

美国首位教皇接受手术的消息传出后，世界各地纷纷送上祝福，包括一些正在罗马朝圣的游客。“我们只希望他的手术一切顺利，”保罗·卡武利奇说道。他周一带着女儿来罗马朝圣，而他本人也来自教皇的家乡芝加哥。“而且他有上帝的庇佑——这一点毋庸置疑。”

梵蒂冈新闻办公室表示，教宗肺部的肿块是在“例行检查”中发现的。据悉，利奥教宗并无任何潜在健康问题，他喜欢打网球和游泳等运动来保持活力。