Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodular lung lesion that was recently discovered during a medical examination.
The 71-year-old pontiff said the lesions were detected at an early stage and were “limited in extent” or well-located.
The Vatican later said Leo would undergo surgery in the first days of this week and that recovery time was expected to be a week.
The US pope made the announcement during a noon blessing on Sunday.
He thanked the crowd for their closeness and prayed for them.
Leo had no known previous health problems and was considered physically active, playing tennis every week and swimming at the papal summer resort in Castel Gandolfo.
The Pope plans to make an important visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17.
It’s unclear whether the planned surgery and recovery will affect the schedule, but Leo said in a speech earlier Sunday that he planned to go.
Speaking in Italian, Leo said that during a recent medical examination, “the doctors discovered a small localized nodule in my lungs. It was discovered at a very early stage and was already confined. The doctors thought it best to take action, so, following their advice, I decided to have surgery to remove it.”
“The surgery has been scheduled for the next few days. Thank you for your moral support and I entrust myself to your prayers,” he said.
Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, died of a stroke on April 21, 2025, after a long hospitalization with a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia.
Francis suffers from chronic lung disease and had part of his lung removed as a young man.
Leo is expected to undergo surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where Francis and popes before him have been treated and there is an apartment dedicated to the pope.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the few outsiders to visit Francis during his lengthy final hospital stay, expressed her and the Italian government’s support to Leo “as he faces this challenge in the coming days”.
She added in a statement that “the calmness and calm with which he spoke about this matter” was reassuring.