Pope Leo departs Vatican ahead of operation to remove nodule
The pontiff said on Sunday he would undergo surgery for a nodule on his lung.
October 13, 2026, 7:08 AM
ROME and LONDON -- Pope Leo XIV departed the Vatican on Tuesday for a hospital in Rome, where he's scheduled to undergo an operation on Tuesday to remove a nodule from his lung.
"As announced, Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital," the Vatican press office said in a statement. "This afternoon, he will undergo surgery for a lung nodule performed by the thoracic surgery team led by Professor Stefano Margaritora."
Pope Leo waves from a car window as he leaves the Vatican, ahead of his hospitalization for surgery to remove a lung nodule, in Rome, Italy, October 13, 2026.
Remo Casilli/Reuters
The Vatican said additional information would be provided Tuesday evening.
The pontiff said on Sunday he would undergo surgery for a nodule found on his lung, adding that operation was to take place in the "next few days." His recovery at the hospital in Rome was expected to last about a week, the Vatican said.
The St. Peter's Basilica on the day Pope Leo is expected to be admitted to hospital for a surgery to remove a lung nodule, in Rome, Italy, October 13, 2026.
Remo Casilli/Reuters
A lung nodule, also known as a pulmonary nodule, is a small mass of dense tissue on the lung, according to the American Lung Association. Leo on Sunday said the nodule was discovered by doctors in "a very initial phase" and that it was "well localized."
"The doctors think it is opportune to intervene," the 71-year-old said.
Pope Leo XIV leaves the Vatican before being admitted to Rome's Gemelli University Hospital for an operation to remove a lump from his lung, in the Vatican on 13 October 2026.
Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of State, said that as he listened to Leo's announcement on Sunday, he was "struck by his serenity" according to Vatican media.
"We are confident," he reportedly said, "and of course we all accompany him with our prayers and our affection.”
The statue of the late Pope John Paul II and Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Leo is expected to be hospitalised to undergo surgery to remove a small growth on his lung, in Rome, Italy, October 13, 2026.
Ciro De Luca/Reuters
Gemelli Hospital, which is formally the Policlinico Universitario Fondazione Agostino Gemelli, is the largest hospital in Rome.
It's the primary medical facility commonly used by popes, including Leo's immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, who died in 2025 at the age of 88.
Leo, a Chicago native and the first American pope, who was previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected the church's 267th pontiff in May 2025.
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