The Vatican press office said the surgery will entail a weeklong healing in the hospital.
By Catholics for Catholics
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to be admitted to the hospital on Tuesday in the late morning, prior to surgery to have a lung nodule removed after it was discovered during recent medical tests.
According to a story by Newsmax, the Vatican press office said the surgery will entail a weeklong healing in the hospital.
During his Sunday noon prayer, the Pope revealed the discovery of the nodule and said he was following doctors’ advice to have it removed.
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 surgery to remove it. The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) October 11, 2026
On Monday the Vatican press office said that no specific issue triggered the tests, denying Italian media reports suggesting an inflammation had prompted Leo to have the checkup.
Still, the medical procedure was unexpected and took the participants of a family conference. The Pope was supposed to have presided over a Wednesday Mass and the final session in the afternoon, but now will be a no-show.
“Of course, it comes as a surprise to all of us that the Holy Father needs to be hospitalized for a few days for an intervention,” said Quebec Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix. “But it will not change what we’re doing.”
Leo had requested the presidents of bishops conferences around the world for a week of discussion about how one of Pope Francis’ most important and controversial documents is being implemented.
In Fatima tonight, hundreds of thousands of faithful are praying the rosary for the good health of the “Bishop dressed in white”, Pope Leo XIV, who will be admitted to hospital tomorrow for surgery to remove a nodule in his lung. https://t.co/vEqTN8FWYI
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) October 12, 2026
“The Joy of Love” allegedly aimed to help the church better minister to families coping with today’s challenges, including poverty and war but also divorce and LGBTQ+ children. It was controversial because Francis opened the door to letting divorced and civilly remarried Catholics have access to the sacraments.
Leo’s surgery marks the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. It was significant because the pope himself revealed the news, in perhaps the most public way possible: at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, with thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
