Pope Leo XIV has said he will undergo surgery to remove a nodule found on his lung during a recent medical examination, announcing it himself to pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square for his weekly Sunday prayers, Hiru News reported.

It is the first health scare of the 71-year-old pontiff’s tenure.

What the Pope said

“Recently, during some medical examinations, doctors found a localized nodule in my lung,” Leo told the crowd. “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.”

He closed his Angelus by thanking those present for their “spiritual closeness” and said he entrusted himself to their prayers, the Daily Mirror reported, carrying BBC copy.

When the operation will happen

The two accounts date the surgery slightly differently, and the difference is worth stating plainly rather than resolving by preference.

Leo’s own words, as carried by Reuters through Hiru, place it “in the next few days”. Holy See Press Office spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters, in the BBC account the Daily Mirror reprints, that “the operation is scheduled for the first days of next week.”

Because the announcement was made on a Sunday, these are not necessarily in conflict — the first days of the following week fall within a few days of the statement. No filing gives a specific date.

Both accounts agree the Pope is expected to need about a week to recover. The Vatican’s own news portal says the operation will take place at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, which has maintained a dedicated papal suite since the attempt on Pope John Paul II’s life in May 1981.

Context

Leo was elected in May 2025 and is comparatively young for a pope. He is a keen sportsman, including tennis, and was not previously known to have had health problems.

He was maintaining a full public schedule as recently as late September, when he drew a crowd the Vatican put at 800,000 to a Mass on the Champs-Élysées during a tour of France. Neither filing says whether the examinations that found the nodule were routine or prompted by symptoms.

The comparison being drawn in both filings is with his predecessor. Pope Francis died at 88 after years of increasing frailty, and had repeated lung problems requiring hospital treatment. Leo’s announcement comes roughly a year and a half into his pontificate.

Messages of support came from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who expressed “personal solidarity” with the Pope as he “faces the ordeal ahead in the coming days”; Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who sent wishes for “a speedy and full return to health”; and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The Sri Lanka connection

Sri Lanka has had direct dealings with this pontificate. The country’s ambassador to the Holy See presented credentials to Pope Leo in May, and Sri Lanka maintains a substantial Catholic minority for whom papal health is closely followed news.

Not reported

Neither filing says what kind of nodule was found, whether it is benign or malignant, or whether a biopsy has been performed — only that it is “well-contained” and early-stage. Neither reports what procedure is planned, who will perform it, or whether the Pope will delegate any duties during his recovery. No filing says whether the Vatican will publish a bulletin after the operation.

Sources: Daily Mirror, Hiru News.

The Daily Mirror’s account is a reprint of BBC copy and Hiru’s is a Reuters reprint; both wire services’ own domains are unreachable to this desk, so the origin is noted here rather than cited. The Daily Mirror renders the Pope’s birth surname as “Provost”; it is not used in this report.