Watch: Pope Leo XIV Shares He Will Undergo Surgery to Remove Nodule in His Lung
UPDATED: Pope Leo XIV is recovering.
Days after the leader of the Catholic Church shared he was undergoing a surgery to remove a nodule in one of his lungs, the Vatican has confirmed that the procedure was a success and the nodule ultimately proved to be cancerous.
“To ensure a radical procedure, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” the Vatican confirmed in an Oct. 13 statement. “The intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the pre-operative tests.”
Despite the lung cancer diagnosis, the Vatican assured that the religious figure’s operation was successful and had no complications.
“Following the operation, the Pope woke up normally,” the statement added, “and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the tenth floor.”
The religious leader, born Robert Francis Prevost, first shared he was set to undergo surgery during the Sunday Angelus prayer in Rome, Italy, Oct. 11.
“Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung,” Pope Leo told those gathered in St Peter’s Square, per a news release shared by the Vatican. “It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized. The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it.”
“The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days,” he added. “I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers. Thank you, and happy Sunday!”
The Director of the Holy See Press Office Matteo Bruni also shared in a statement that the operation, which is set to take place at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, “is scheduled for the first days of this week and the estimated post-operative recovery time will be about one week.”
Lung nodules are a common condition formed from small clumps of cells in the lungs, according to Mayo Clinic. And while most lung nodules are scar tissue from past lung infections, they don’t typically cause any symptoms. Rather, “They’re often found by accident on a chest X-ray or CT scan done for some other reason.”
Photo by Elisabetta Trevisan – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
The Chicago-native was selected by the College of Cardinals as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church in May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis.
And in his first remarks as Pope Leo XIV, the 71-year-old sent a unifying message.
“We can be a missionary church,” he told the crowd, as well as millions watching around the world, “a church that builds bridges, that is always open to receive everyone—just like in this square, to welcome everyone, in charity, dialogue and love.”
Invoking the final Easter blessing Pope Francis gave before his death that April, Pope Leo continued, “Allow me to continue that same blessing: God loves everyone; evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. So without fear, united hand and hand with God and among ourselves, we go forward.”
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