Pope Leo’s lung surgery successful — Vatican

On Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV successfully underwent lung surgery at a hospital in Rome, with the Vatican confirming the successful completion of the procedure. The 71-year-old pontiff entered the hospital the previous day, smiling and waving before the operation. The Vatican stated that the surgery was completed "within the expected time and in the planned manner."

Pope Leo's first hospitalization since becoming head of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025, came after routine health checks detected a small nodule on his lung, described as a "coin lesion." Vatican officials noted that the Pope appeared relaxed about the hospital stay and had been informed that the nodule was discovered at an early stage.

The surgery is expected to take about a week for recovery, with the Pope's audiences canceled until October 20. Despite the Pope's generally good health, the Vatican and medical experts emphasized the positive prognosis for the Pope if the nodule turned out to be malignant.