Pope Leo XIV is expected to undergo surgery this week to remove a small nodule doctors found in one of his lungs, the 71-year-old pontiff announced Sunday, Oct. 11, during his noon Angelus blessing in St. Peter's Square. He said the growth was caught early and is confined to one spot. Neither the pope nor the Vatican has said whether the nodule is benign or cancerous.
According to Vatican News, Leo told the crowd that doctors found the lesion during recent medical examinations and recommended removing it. "It was detected at a very early stage and is well localized," he said. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said the pope would be admitted in the first days of the week without naming a date, and CBS News and the Associated Press reported that recovery is expected to take about a week.
