Overview
- The pope announced at his midday Angelus prayer that doctors found a small, well‑localized lung nodule and that he will have an operation to remove it.
- The Vatican said the procedure is scheduled at Rome’s Policlinico Agostino Gemelli in the first days of the coming week and that the hospital stay will likely be about one week.
- Officials have not said whether the nodule is benign or malignant, and pathologists will perform a frozen‑section test during surgery to guide any additional steps.
- Lung specialists say a malignant result could lead surgeons to remove the affected lobe and sample lymph nodes, while early, localized nodules often have good outcomes.
- At 71, Leo XIV has been publicly active and fit; the operation and immediate recovery leave his November 6–17 South America trip uncertain pending surgical findings and recovery.