Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday doctors had detected a small growth on his lung during a recent health check, and he would be undergoing surgery this week to remove it, in the first health scare of the 71-year-old pontiff’s tenure.
Leo told pilgrims in St Peter’s Square for his weekly Sunday prayer that the growth was “well-contained” and caught at an early stage.
“Recently, during some medical examinations, doctors found a localised nodule in my lung,” said the pontiff. “It was detected at a very early stage and is well contained.”
“The doctors believe it is advisable to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it,” he said. “The operation is already scheduled for the next few days.”
Leo, elected pope by the world’s cardinals in May 2025, is relatively young for a Church leader. He enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to previously have had health issues.
The late Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, died at age 88 and was increasingly frail in his later years.
He is expected to be treated at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which has a special apartment for the pope.
A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than three centimetres that sometimes appears on a CT scan of the chest or abdomen, according to the American Cancer Society.
Often, the scans are done to investigate trauma or a lung infection, unrelated to a lung cancer screening.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni wished the pope well.
“I would like to express to the holy father my personal support, and that of the Italian government, as he faces this challenge in the coming days,” she said in a statement.
Leo keeps a busy schedule and is due to make an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6-17.
Before mentioning his health issue in his address on Sunday, the pope referred to the trip, thanking Catholics for their prayers “for the pastoral visit I will undertake”.