Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, where he was due to undergo surgery later today to remove a nodule from his lung.
The Vatican press office said the operation would be carried out by the hospital’s thoracic surgery team, led by Professor Stefano Margaritora. The Pope arrived shortly after 1pm.
Leo announced the operation after the Angelus prayer on October 11, telling pilgrims in St Peter’s Square that doctors had found a small, well-defined nodule on his lung during a check-up.
He said it had been picked up at a very early stage and that he had followed medical advice to have it taken out. The Vatican has not said the Pope has lung cancer.
The Prefecture of the Papal Household cancelled all audiences until October 20 to cover the hospital stay, which the Vatican put at around seven days.
Thoracic specialists quoted by AP said the surgery would establish whether the lesion is malignant and whether further treatment is needed. They said the outlook would remain good even in that event, given how early the nodule was found.
Vatican News reported that well-wishers had gathered inside and outside the hospital from the early hours. The Pope was applauded on arrival and briefly greeted staff and members of the hospital foundation’s management, including its president, Daniele Franco.
It is the first medical episode of a pontificate that began in May 2025, when Robert Francis Prevost was elected the 267th pope and the first born in the United States. He turned 71 in September.
The Gemelli has been the reference point for papal medical care for decades and keeps a reserved suite for pontiffs, fitted out after the 1981 attempt on the life of John Paul II. Francis was treated there several times, including during the respiratory illness that preceded his death in April 2025.
Leo said on October 11 that his planned visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November would still go ahead, though the Vatican has not confirmed how the recovery period might affect the itinerary.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her solidarity and that of her Government after the announcement, saying the calm with which the Pope had spoken about the procedure was reassuring. The Vatican said it would report on the outcome of the surgery once it had been completed.
