Pope says to be operated in ‘coming days’ for lung nodule

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday announced he would be operated “in the coming days” for a lump on his lung, saying it had been located “at a very early stage”.

“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.

Following the pope’s statement during his Angelus prayers, the Vatican press office said the expected recovery time from the operation would be around one week.

Chicago-born Leo became the first US pope last year following the death of his Argentine predecessor, Francis, on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.

Francis spent weeks at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where popes traditionally go for medical treatment.

Leo was elected leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8, 2025.

The former Robert Francis Prevost, while less ebullient than his predecessor, has gradually imprinted his style on the leadership of the Catholic Church, finding his voice as he takes on some of the world’s most pressing issues, from bloody conflicts to artificial intelligence.

After the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in February, the pope became a high-profile critic of the conflict.

He condemned US President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as “truly unacceptable” and urged Americans to demand that US lawmakers “work for peace”.

Trump slammed the pontiff as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” – to which Leo replied that he had a “moral duty to speak out”.