Health · Healthcare & Policy · 10 hrs ago
Pope Leo XIV says he will have surgery for lung nodule
Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday, October 11, that he will have surgery for a growth in his lung.
Doctors found it during a medical check-up and described it as early-stage and well contained.
They recommended an operation, and the pope said he had decided to proceed.
A Vatican spokesperson said the procedure could take place in the first days of next week.
Leo XIV is 71 and was elected head of the Catholic Church in May 2025.
He is the first person born in the United States to lead the Church.
Pope Leo XIV said on October 11 that he will undergo surgery for a lung nodule.
He said doctors found the nodule during a recent medical examination and that it was detected at a very early stage and well localized.
Leo said doctors recommended an intervention and that he decided to have the operation.
A Vatican spokesman said the surgery could take place in the first days of the following week.
- Who
- Pope Leo XIV.
- What
- He said he will undergo surgery for a lung nodule.
- When
- He announced it on October 11, 2026; the surgery could take place in the first days of the following week.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- Doctors recommended an operation after finding a lung nodule during a medical examination.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Recently, during a medical examination, doctors found a nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage, and it is well localized.
Doctors found a nodule in Leo's lung during a medical examination.
Leo announced after his Sunday sermon that he would undergo surgery.
The operation could take place, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
- Nodule
- Detected at a very early stage and well localized
- Announcement
- October 11, 2026, after Sunday's sermon
- Possible surgery timing
- First days of the following week
- Vatican spokesman
- Matteo Bruni
- Age
- 71
Sources
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Luigi Carbone coordinates medical care for Pope Leo XIV
