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Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday that he was scheduled to have surgery in the “coming days” to remove a nodule in his lung.
Speaking during his weekly address in St. Peter’s Square, the 71-year-old pontiff said the nodule had been discovered during “recent checkups” and that doctors believed it would be best to intervene.
“It was detected at a very early stage and is well localised,” he said.
“I have decided to undergo surgery to have it removed,” he continued, adding that the procedure was “already scheduled for the coming days.”
The operation will reportedly take place at Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital.
The Vatican press office told reporters that the procedure is set to take place early in the week and that the expected recovery time is roughly one week.
Chicago-born Leo became pope in 2025 following the death of his predecessor, Francis.
According to the American Lung Association, a lung nodule is a “small mass of dense tissue on the lung” that can be spotted on chest X-rays or CT scans.
It says that while most lung nodules are benign, some can be cancerous.
“If the nodule looks cancerous (malignant) or your health history suggests a higher risk for cancer, physicians will order tests to learn more about your nodule(s),” the association says on its website. “These tests often include a combination of imaging scans, nodule and lymph node biopsies, and sometimes blood tests.”
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