Pope Leo in the hospital as surgery to remove growth on his lung scheduled for Tuesday

Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to the hospital for surgery Tuesday to remove a small growth on his lung, in what is his first stay in hospital since the start of his pontificate.

The 71-year-old pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday that doctors had discovered a “nodule” on his lung, which he had been advised to have removed. A nodule is a mass of dense tissue that is often benign. Leo said on Sunday that the growth had been detected “at a very early stage” and was “well-contained.”

The surgery will take place Tuesday afternoon at the Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic hospital in northwest Rome, a private medical facility that has a long association with the Vatican. The hospital has a special suite of rooms for the pope on the 10th floor, which Pope John Paul II famously dubbed “Vatican three” during his frequent stays there – St. Peter’s being Vatican One and the papal residence Castel Gandolfo, Vatican two. Pope Francis also spent an extended period there early last year when he was treated for pneumonia.

The pontiff has cancelled all his public events until October 20.

“Surgeries to remove a nodule are usually minimally invasive with a low rate of complications,” said Dr. Matthew Triplette, medical director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program and specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine. He added that patients normally stay in hospital for a few days and then continue their recovery at home.

The Vatican will continue to function while the pope is in hospital although anything requiring his signature will need to be postponed. A spokesman said Sunday that the pope will need about a week to recover following the operation.

The Vatican has no specific rules on how the leadership of the Catholic Church is transferred should the pope be incapacitated. Even if he is unconscious and undergoing surgery, the pontiff retains full papal authority.

Both Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II issued laws and statements while they were being hospitalized. Day-to-day Vatican operations are already handled by a separate team.

The pope kept his normal busy schedule Monday, holding back-to-back meetings in the morning before participating in a gathering of bishops and church leaders in the Vatican.

News of the first American pope’s surgery has led to an outpouring of well-wishes across the world, including from those visiting Rome. “We’re just hoping that his procedure is going to go well,” said Paul Kavulich, who was visiting Rome on a pilgrimage with his daughter on Monday and is from the pope’s hometown of Chicago. “And he’s got God with him – no doubt about that.”

The Vatican press office said the growth on the pope’s lung was discovered during “routine tests.” Leo is not known to have any underlying health problems, and he likes to keep active by playing tennis and going swimming.