Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday that he would have surgery to remove a small growth on his lung in the coming days, his first medical issue requiring hospitalization since he became the pontiff last year.
“During some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung,” the pope, 71, told thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday morning 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 best to intervene.
The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said the pope would be hospitalized in the “first days” of the coming week and that his recovery would take about a week.
While keeping a full schedule since becoming pope in May 2025, Leo has remained physically active. He plays tennis regularly and swims at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo. Italian news media have reported that the newly renovated apartment in the Apostolic Palace to which the pope moved this year includes a home gym.
Leo is scheduled to travel next month to South America, including to Peru, where he lived for many years. During his address on Sunday, he thanked pilgrims for their prayers “for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru,” suggesting his plans had not changed.
The Vatican did not say where the operation would take place. Leo’s most recent predecessors have been treated at Policlinico A. Gemelli, a hospital in Rome. A spokesman for the hospital could not be reached.
“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 said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Mayor Roberto Gualtieri of Rome and the Italian Bishops’ Conference were among the first to wish the pope well.
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