Pope Leo XIV is planning to undergo surgery to remove a recently discovered lung nodule.
“It was detected at a very early stage and is well-defined,” Pope Leo, 71, said outside St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, October 11, according to CNN. “The doctors deem it advisable to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it.”
Pulmonary nodules are defined as areas of abnormal growth on the lungs that are typically noncancerous, per the Cleveland Clinic. The nodules seldom cause symptoms, except in certain cases of chest pain, shortness of breath, chronic cough, fatigue or recurring respiratory infections.
Further details about Leo’s condition have not been publicly revealed at the time of publication. According to CNN, Pope Leo’s procedure is scheduled to take place early next week and the Vatican will function as usual amid his recovery.
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Leo was named the new pontiff in May 2025 after a conclave of international cardinals voted on Pope Francis’ successor. (Francis died one month earlier at the age of 88.)
Leo (born Robert Francis Prevost) is the first American-born pope in the church’s history.
“Thank you to my Cardinal brothers who chose me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you as a united Church searching all together for peace and justice, working together as women and men, faithful to Jesus Christ without fear, proclaiming Christ, to be missionaries, faithful to the gospel,” Leo said in a speech at the time, addressing his new papal position. “I am a son of Saint Augustine, an Augustinian. He said, ‘With you I am a Christian, for you a bishop.’ So, may we all walk together towards that homeland that God has prepared for us.”
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Days later, Leo marked his first mass as the head of the Catholic Church with an impassioned speech.
“You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a church, as a community, as friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the good news to announce the Gospel,” he said during his lengthy sermon. “A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family, and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
