Pope Leo XIV to have lung surgery for nodular lesion, Vatican says

VATICAN CITY (AP) – The Vatican said Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery this week for a nodular lesion in his lung, with the recovery time expected to be a week.

What they’re saying:

A statement Sunday from the Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, didn’t say when the pope would be hospitalized, but that it would be in the “first days” of the week. He was expected to be treated at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which has a special apartment for the pope.

The statement didn’t say what impact, if any, the surgery or weeklong recovery would have on Leo’s planned Nov. 7-16 trip to Latin America, but the pope on Sunday asked for prayers for his upcoming trip to Peru especially.

The pope said it was found in an early stage and was “circumscribed.” He said surgery was scheduled in the coming days.

The 71-year-old Leo made the announcement during his Sunday noon blessing. No further details were immediately released.

The American pope has no previously known health problems and is known to be physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, died April 21, 2025, of a stroke following a long hospitalization brought on by a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. Francis suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man.

Leo was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago back in 1955 and was raised in south suburban Dolton, where he childhood home has become a frequent visitor’s stop.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, among the few outsiders to visit Francis during his long final hospitalization, expressed her support, and that of the Italian government, to Leo “as he faces this challenge in the coming days.” In a statement, she added that “the serenity and calm with which he spoke about it” were reassuring.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.