Pope Leo XIV arrived at a Rome hospital on Tuesday before his scheduled surgery to remove a lung nodule.
The surgery is expected to happen later today at Gemelli hospital, The Associated Press reported.
The pope was driven from the Vatican to the medical facility but walked through the main entrance, waving to those who gathered to greet him.
He announced his diagnosis on Sunday.
Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung. 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…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) October 11, 2026
Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon will perform the procedure. After the surgery, doctors are expected to determine whether the lesion is malignant and whether further treatment is needed, the AP said.
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Oncologists said if the nodule is cancerous, the 71-year-old pontiff’s prognosis is “excellent” since it will have been removed at an early stage.
The American Lung Association said pulmonary nodules are very common and most are benign, The New York Times reported.
Pope Leo is expected to be in the hospital for about a week, and the Vatican has canceled all of his audiences through Oct. 20. He will be in charge of the Vatican unless incapacitated, but major decisions requiring his approval are expected to be postponed until he’s released, the newspaper said.
He has a planned trip in early November to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, and typically patients are told not to fly for about three weeks after surgery.
“He has decided to undergo surgery soon in order to not change his plans for future overseas trips, so there is no need to worry, as it is not an emergency,” Tokyo Cardinal Kikuchi Tsutomu said, according to the AP. He had been with the pope on Monday.
This is Pope Leo’s first medical issue that requires hospitalization since he became pope last year, The New York Times noted.
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