Pope Leo XIV turned his Sunday noon prayer into an unusually personal bulletin on Oct. 11, 2026, telling pilgrims packed into St. Peter’s Square that doctors had found a nodule in one of his lungs and that he had agreed to have it surgically removed in the coming days.
Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace, the 71-year-old pontiff delivered the news at the end of his Angelus address. “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,” Leo said. He continued: “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. Thank you, and happy Sunday!”
Earlier in the same address, Leo had appealed for an end to the war in Ukraine and for grain to move safely across the Black Sea.
The Vatican did not say whether the nodule is believed to be malignant. Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said in a statement that “the operation is scheduled for the first days of this week and the estimated post-operative recovery time will be about one week,” Bruni said. The procedure will take place at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital, where popes typically receive medical care. As of late Sunday, Oct. 11, the operation had not yet been performed.
What Doctors Look for in a Nodule
A lung nodule is a small, localized lesion that can be benign. The American Thoracic Society says fewer than 5 percent of lung nodules overall prove cancerous, although the risk rises with age, size and factors such as smoking. Leo is not known to be a smoker, and he keeps an active routine that includes weekly games of tennis. He has no previously known health problems, making the announcement the first health scare of his papacy.
Latin America Trip Still on the Books
Moments before sharing the medical news, Leo thanked Catholics for their prayers for the pastoral visit he will undertake and greeted members of the Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros, the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles, a Peruvian religious association. He indicated he is pressing ahead with the apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru set for Nov. 6-17, the longest international trip of his pontificate so far. Whether the surgery and the recovery that follows will reshape the itinerary is not yet clear.
In Uruguay, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, the archbishop of Montevideo, said preparations for the papal visit would continue with greater spirit and asked for prayers for the pope’s recovery. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her support and that of her government, adding that the serenity and calm with which he spoke about it during the Angelus were reassuring, Meloni said in a statement. Italian President Sergio Mattarella sent wishes for a peaceful recovery and a full return to health, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog wished the pontiff a full and speedy recovery.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, asked Catholics to set aside a moment to pray for Leo and his medical team. Father Joseph Farrell, prior general of the Augustinian Order to which the pope belongs, said Augustinians around the world were praying for Leo and for the staff who will assist in the operation. Villanova University, Leo’s alma mater, said in a post on X on Oct. 11 that it was joining the global church in prayer for him.
Popes Rarely Deliver the News Themselves
A pope announcing his own operation is rare. The Gemelli hospitalizations of Pope Francis, including colon surgery in 2021 and abdominal surgery in 2023, were disclosed by the Vatican press office rather than by the pontiff. One precedent came on July 12, 1992, when St. John Paul II told pilgrims he would go to Gemelli for diagnostic tests, which led to surgery to remove a large tumor from his colon. The hospital established a special papal suite after the May 1981 assassination attempt on John Paul II, and it is still in use.
Born Robert Francis Prevost on the South Side of Chicago, Leo was ordained in 1982, spent much of his career ministering in Peru and later led the Vatican’s office of bishops. His father, Louis Prevost, served in the Navy during World War II and worked as a superintendent of schools in Chicago’s south suburbs; his mother, Mildred Martinez Prevost, was a librarian with a master’s degree in education. The cardinals elected him in May 2025, making him the first American pope and the 267th occupant of the throne of St. Peter, after Francis died of a stroke in April 2025 at age 88 following a long hospitalization.
During the recovery period, the Vatican is expected to operate as normal, although decisions requiring the pope’s signature will be placed on hold until he is back at work.