Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic Church, will be admitted to hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove a small growth from his lung, the Vatican has announced.
The 71-year-old pontiff is expected to undergo the procedure at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which has facilities dedicated to treating popes.
His admission will be his first hospitalisation since his election as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8, 2025.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told AFP on Monday that Leo would be admitted on “Tuesday, late morning”. The Vatican estimates that his recovery could take about a week.
The pope disclosed the planned operation on Sunday after the Angelus prayers at St Peter’s Square, revealing that doctors had detected a pulmonary nodule during recent medical examinations.
He said the growth had been discovered “at a very early stage” and explained his decision to undergo surgery, saying, “The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it.”
A pulmonary nodule is a small mass of tissue in the lung.
Although most such growths are benign and non-cancerous, a small proportion may represent an early stage of lung cancer.
Small nodules often produce no symptoms and are typically detected during medical examinations for other conditions.
Larger ones may cause breathing difficulties, chest pain and persistent coughing, sometimes accompanied by blood.
The procedure is generally performed under general anaesthesia, with the patient breathing through a tube during surgery.
Gemelli Hospital, located north of the Vatican, has long served as a treatment centre for popes.
Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, spent several weeks there receiving medical care before his death in 2025.
Pope John Paul II, who led the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005, was also treated at the hospital on nine occasions.
The hospital maintains a dedicated papal suite featuring a room for the pope, a meeting space for medical personnel, a kitchen, a bathroom, rest areas and a small chapel.
The facility is situated on an upper floor, with access traditionally secured by Italian and Vatican police.
Despite the planned surgery, Leo is expected to recover in time for an official visit to Latin America scheduled for November.
The 11-day trip, planned for November 6 to 17, will take the Chicago-born pontiff to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Leo, the first American pope, is generally considered to be in good health and enjoys sporting activities, particularly tennis.
Since his election, the pontiff, formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost, has gradually established his leadership style while addressing major issues confronting the Catholic Church and the wider world, including armed conflicts and the growing influence of artificial intelligence.
