Pope to undergo surgery after lung nodule detected ‘at very early stage’

Vatican City, October 12 - Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgical intervention "in the coming days" for a lung nodule, the 71-year-old pontiff announced in a weekly address. The Vatican press office confirmed the pope is scheduled for surgery at the Gemelli hospital in Rome and expects a recovery period of around one week. No details have been disclosed regarding the impact of the procedure on his planned international trips, including a visit to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru scheduled between November 6 and 17.

The Pope’s decision to have the surgery followed a recent medical check that detected a nodule located "at a very early stage" and "very localized", according to the Pope. Pope Leo XIV, who became the first US Pope in April 2025 following the death of his Argentine predecessor Pope Francis, faced initial criticism from US President Donald Trump, who labeled the pontiff as "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy".

However, the Pope remained steadfast in his moral duty to speak out on issues such as US-Iran conflict, condemning US President Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as "truly unacceptable".