Pope Leo XIV to Undergo Lung Surgery, Cancels Public Engagements Until October 20
Pope Leo XIV will be admitted to hospital in Rome on Tuesday for surgery to remove a small growth in his lung, the Vatican has announced.
The 71-year-old pontiff is expected to enter the Agostino Gemelli Hospital late on Tuesday morning, October 13, for an operation to remove a localised lung nodule discovered during routine medical examinations.
According to the Vatican, his hospital stay and recovery are expected to last approximately one week.
The announcement follows the Pope’s disclosure during his Sunday Angelus address on October 11 that doctors had discovered the nodule and recommended surgery.
He said the growth had been detected at an early stage and was well localised, adding that he had decided to follow his doctors’ advice.
The Vatican’s Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed the admission date on Monday but did not disclose the precise time of the operation.
The Vatican has cancelled Pope Leo’s public engagements through October 20 to allow him to undergo surgery and recover.
The decision has also affected the pontiff’s scheduled participation in Church activities during the week.
Reuters reported that the Pope maintained his schedule on Monday, holding several meetings with visiting bishops and other guests before his planned hospital admission.
A Mass scheduled for Wednesday at St Peter’s Square will instead be led by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, according to the report.
The Vatican has not announced any change to the Pope’s planned November visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for November 6 to 17.
A pulmonary nodule is a small growth or abnormal area of tissue in the lung. Such nodules can be benign or malignant, and their significance depends on factors including their size, appearance and the patient’s medical history.
The discovery of a nodule does not, by itself, mean that a person has cancer.
The Vatican has not disclosed whether the Pope’s growth is benign or malignant. It has described the nodule as small, localised and detected at an early stage.
The operation is intended to remove the growth, but the available announcements do not establish its precise medical nature.
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in the United States, was elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8, 2025.
The planned operation marks his first reported hospitalisation since becoming Pope.
Rome’s Gemelli Hospital has a long history of treating pontiffs, including Pope Francis, who received medical treatment there before his death in April 2025.
The Vatican expects Leo XIV to spend about a week recovering from the procedure. Further information about the operation and his condition will depend on subsequent updates from the Holy See.
