Pope Leo to have surgery after lump found on lung

Pope Leo XIV has announced that he will undergo surgery "in the coming days" after a nodule was found on his lung during a medical check‑up. "The doctors recovered an early, well‑localised nodule connected my lung," he told the nationalist during his play Sunday prayers successful St Peter's Square successful Rome. The 71‑year‑old pontiff said his medical team "believe it would beryllium close to intervene" and that he had agreed to the operation, while reassuring pilgrims that the condition was "well‑contained" and caught "at an aboriginal stage". He concluded his Angelus prayer by thanking everyone for their "spiritual closeness" and said he entrusted himself to their prayers. Holy See Press Office spokesperson Matteo Bruni told the media that "the cognition is scheduled for the archetypal days of adjacent week". He added that the Pope is expected to instrumentality astir a week to recover. Vatican News reported that the procedure will take place at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, the facility that houses a special Papal suite established after the failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in May 1981 and still in use today. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her "personal solidarity" with the Pope as he "faces the ordeal up successful the coming days". Italian President Sergio Mattarella echoed her sentiment, offering his "sincerest wishes for a peaceful betterment and a speedy and afloat instrumentality to health". Israeli President Isaac Herzog also wished the pontiff "a afloat and speedy recovery". Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Provost, is the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter and the first U.S. national to hold the position. He was ordained in 1982 and served as a missionary in Peru, where he is remembered for his work with marginalized communities. During Sunday’s service he confirmed that his planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November will go ahead. The Archbishop of Montevideo, Daniel Sturla, said preparations for the visit will continue with "greater enthusiasm" and called for prayers for the Pope’s recovery. A lung nodule is defined by the NHS as a small lump of tissue usually detected by chest X‑ray or CT scan; most such nodules do not cause other symptoms. Read the full story at BBC News →