Pope Leo XIV, 71, will be admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday to have a lung nodule removed, the Vatican announced. The pope disclosed the finding himself at his Sunday noon prayer, saying it was found early and is "circumscribed."
"The doctors believe it's best to take action, so, following their advice, I've decided to have surgery to remove it," he said. The Vatican did not give a date for the operation, expects about a week of hospital recovery, and denied Italian media reports that inflammation prompted the tests. It has not said the nodule is cancerous.
It is the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. A trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is planned for Nov. 6-17; it is unclear whether it will be affected.