Pope Leo to have surgery to remove lung nodule

Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday that he would have an operation "in the coming days" for a lump on his lung, saying it had been located "at a very early stage".

Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost addresses the crowd from the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025. Robert Francis Prevost was on Thursday elected the first pope from the United States, the Vatican announced. A moderate who was close to Pope Francis and spent years as a missionary in Peru, he becomes the Catholic Church's 267th pontiff, taking the papal name Leo XIV. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)

"During recent medical checks, a nodule on my lung was found. It has been detected at a very early stage and is very localised," the 71-year-old said in a weekly address in St Peter's Square.

"The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it. The operation is already planned in the coming days," he said.

Source: Citizen Digital