Pope Leo XIV to undergo surgery after finding lump during 'recent medical examinations'

Pope Leo XIV is addressing a recent health scare.

The pope, 71, announced Sunday, October 11 that he is due to undergo surgery "in the coming days" after doctors found a lump on his lung during a recent physical. 

The Chicago-native became the head of the Catholic Church, the first American to do so, in May 2025, elected on the fourth ballot during a two-day papal conclave, following Pope Francis' death at 88 in April 2025.

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In a news release shared by the Vatican, Leo told those gathered during his Sunday prayers in St Peter's Square for the Angelus in Vatican City that "during some recent medical examinations, doctors found a localized nodule in my lung," though maintained that the nodule "was detected at a very early stage and is well localized."

"The doctors deem it advisable to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it," the statement added.

Pulmonary nodules are areas of abnormal growth on your lungs, according to the Cleveland Clinic. They usually don't cause symptoms, and they are usually non-cancerous.

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"The operation is already scheduled for the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers," the statement concluded. 

The procedure will take place at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. A Vatican spokesman clarified to multiple outlets that the procedure was scheduled for early next week and that Leo would need a week in hospital to recover.

Leo is presently a relatively young pope; Francis was 76 when he became pope, and Pope Benedict XVI, who stepped down in 2013 after eight years as pope due to his advanced age, was 78 (he died at 95 in 2022).

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Following his surgery, recovery permitting, Leo has a major visit to Latin America scheduled from November 6 to 17.

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He is planning on visiting Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he has a demanding daily schedule of meetings and public events, though he has a day off on Tuesday the 10th, which he will spend at the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo.

Before and in his time as pope, Leo has been viewed as a close collaborator and trusted ally of Francis, carrying forward his focus on unity, the poor, and global outreach. He has been known to repeatedly criticize Donald Trump's administration's immigration policies and mass deportation efforts, warn about the dangers of artificial intelligence, and most recently, he denounced the death penalty after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. will livestream a public execution by firing squad of a mass shooting perpetrator.