VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday that he would have surgery to remove a small growth on his lung that was discovered during a recent health checkup.
The 71-year-old pontiff spoke about his upcoming surgery during his weekly blessing from St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, The New York Times reported.
“During some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung,” the pope, 71, told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to hear his weekly blessing and prayer. He added that the growth had been detected at “a very early stage,” but doctors advised that it would be best to intervene.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said the pope would be hospitalized in the “first days” of this week and that his recovery would take about a week, according to the newspaper.
Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized. The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it. The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) October 11, 2026
The pope has one upcoming main item on his schedule: the closing Mass on Wednesday of a weeklong conference on family ministry, according to The Associated Press.
A lung nodule is a small mass of dense tissue on the lung and most are non-cancerous, CNN reported. There are risks as a person ages, however, according to the cable news outlet.
The Vatican did not say where the operation would take place, but most of his predecessors have been treated at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, the Times reported.
“The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers,” the pope told the faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.
The pope is scheduled to travel next month to South America, including Peru, where he lived for many years, according to the Times. During his address on Sunday, he thanked pilgrims for their prayers “for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru.”
A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 3 centimeters that sometimes appears on a CT scan of the chest or abdomen, the Times reported, citing the American Cancer Society.
“Lung nodules are fairly common and are often benign, but benign and cancerous nodules can have a similar appearance on imaging,” Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, told the newspaper.
Leo has no previously known health problems and is physically active, the AP reported.
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