Pope Leo XIV will be admitted to hospital on Tuesday ahead of surgery to remove a small nodule discovered in one of his lungs, the Vatican has announced.
The 71-year-old pontiff continued with his official duties on Monday, holding seven previously scheduled meetings during the morning despite the planned medical procedure.
Leo disclosed the diagnosis during his Sunday address, saying the growth had been detected during a recent medical examination, was confined to a specific area and had been identified at an early stage.
The Vatican press office told journalists on Monday that the nodule was discovered during a routine health check. It later confirmed that the pope was expected to arrive at the hospital late Tuesday morning, although it did not specify when the operation would take place.
The Vatican expects Leo to require about a week to recover after the procedure.
Pope maintains official engagements
The pope continued his scheduled activities on Monday, meeting visiting bishops from Argentina, Nicaragua and the United States, among others, according to the Vatican’s daily programme.
Leo, who was elected head of the Catholic Church in May 2025, is relatively young compared with several of his predecessors. He is known to enjoy sports, including tennis, and has no publicly reported history of major health problems. He is also not known to be a smoker.
The pontiff leads the Catholic Church, which has approximately 1.4 billion members worldwide.
Several public engagements remain on his calendar for this week, including a Mass scheduled for Wednesday morning in St Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has not confirmed whether the Mass will proceed as planned. The event is scheduled to close a week-long assembly of bishops, and a senior Vatican cardinal could lead the service if Leo is unable to attend.
What is a lung nodule?
A lung nodule is a small, localized area of abnormal tissue detected through medical imaging. Such growths can have several causes and are not necessarily cancerous.
The American Thoracic Society says fewer than five per cent of lung nodules overall turn out to be cancerous, although the risk can increase depending on factors such as a person’s age, the size of the nodule and smoking history.
The Vatican has said the growth found in Leo’s lung was detected early and was well-contained.
