Daniel Kreps
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Pope Leo XIV greets faithful as he holds the Sunday Angelus prayer from his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square on October 11, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. Elisabetta Trevisan - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images Pope Leo XIV announced Sunday at the Vatican that he will soon undergo surgery to remove a nodule in his lung.
The pontiff made the announcement while addressing those gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer, as subsequently on social media.
“Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung,” Pope Leo XIV wrote. “It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized. The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it. The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days.”
Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized. The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) October 11, 2026
He added, “I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.”
It wasn’t revealed whether or not the nodule was cancerous; CNN reports that, in most cases, lung nodules are non-cancerous masses of dense tissue, but given its localization and early stage it’s better to remove now to be cautious.
