Pope Leo XIV has successfully undergone an operation to remove a nodule from his lung.
The Holy Father arrived at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Tuesday morning to address the nodule — a small growth of tissue on the inside of his lung. He had previously characterized it as minor and treatable. The pope was in surgery by Tuesday afternoon, and the Holy See released a statement not long afterward affirming a successful operation.
“The surgery was completed successfully, within the expected timeframe and as planned, and the Holy Father has returned to his room,” the Holy See said. The statement promised that “further information will follow.”
The Holy See has not disclosed the exact nature of his diagnosis, including whether the nodule is believed to be cancerous.
Pope Leo XIV announced the operation on Sunday at his weekly Angelus appearance in St. Peter’s Square — an unusually candid admission from the Holy See.
“Dear brothers and sisters, recently, during some medical examinations, doctors found a well-defined nodule in one of my lungs,” he told the gathered faithful. “It was detected at a very early stage and is well localized. The doctors believe it is advisable to operate. I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it, following their advice.”
He told the crowd, “The operation has already been scheduled for the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.”
It was a shock to both the public and the Vatican press corps. The health of the pontiff has historically been treated with intense discretion and privacy due to the global ramifications in the event of an untimely passing.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, speaking to reporters at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on Tuesday, said “no one expected” the announcement and admitted to being “worried.”
“But these are, as the pope has said, Godʼs surprises,” Parolin said.
He added, “We were all struck by the serenity. … We hope, as he said, that we are at the very beginning of this difficulty, and therefore that the problem can be resolved as soon as possible.”
Gemelli Hospital has a long relationship with the Holy See, built on a plot of land donated by Pope Pius XI in 1934 and inaugurated by Paul VI in 1964.
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Pope St. John Paul II was the first pontiff to regularly receive care at the facility during his decades of health decline, and Pope Francis visited it several times for treatment during his own pontificate.
The hospital maintains a dedicated suite for papal inpatients, complete with lounges, rooms for his security detail, and space for secretaries to work.
