Pope Leo XIV says the lump in his lungs was caught early. (AFP Photo)
Pope Leo XIV announced on Oct. 11 that he would be operated “in the coming days” for a lump on his lung, saying it had been located “at a very early stage.”
“During recent medical checks, a nodule on my lung was found. It has been detected at a very early stage and is very localized,” the 71-year-old said in a weekly address in St. Peter’s Square.
“The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it. The operation is already planned in the coming days,” he said.
Following the pope’s statement during his Angelus prayers, the Vatican press office said the expected recovery time from the operation would be around one week.
Chicago-born Leo became the first U.S. pope last year following the death of his Argentine predecessor Francis on April 21, 2025 at the age of 88.
Francis spent weeks at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where popes traditionally go for medical treatment.
Leo was elected leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8, 2025.
The former Robert Francis Prevost, while less ebullient than his predecessor, has gradually imprinted his style on the leadership of the Catholic Church, finding his voice as he takes on some of the world’s most pressing issues, from bloody conflicts to artificial intelligence.
After the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran in February, the pope became a high-profile critic of the conflict.
He condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as “truly unacceptable” and urged Americans to demand that U.S. lawmakers “work for peace.”
Trump slammed the pontiff as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
