Discovery and Decision
During his Sunday angelus prayer in St Peter's Square, the 71-year-old pontiff informed those present that a medical check-up had uncovered a small nodule on his lung. He characterised the growth as well-contained and caught at an early stage. Acting on medical guidance, he opted to have it surgically removed. Leo, who last May became the Roman Catholic church's first American-born leader, is receiving care at Rome's Gemelli hospital, where a sizable crowd welcomed him.[S1]
Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin recounted having met with Leo on Monday evening, describing the exchange as calm. Speaking to Rai News, Parolin said the news had arrived completely unexpectedly, catching everyone off guard. He voiced relief that the growth had been identified straight away, enabling swift surgery, and observed that when such conditions are caught early they can typically be dealt with successfully.[S1]
Hospital and Schedule
No date for the surgery has been given by the Vatican, though Italian press accounts indicate it may be performed on Tuesday afternoon. Every engagement on Leo's calendar has been called off through 20 October. Doctors regard the procedure as carrying little danger, and it will establish whether the nodule is cancerous. Leo will be housed in the Gemelli's ten-storey private-patient section, though not in the papal suite, which is undergoing refurbishment.[S1]
Situated in the north-western part of the Italian capital, the Gemelli hospital has a long association with caring for popes while in office. Pope John Paul II was admitted there so frequently that the Vatican collaborated with the facility to create the heavily guarded papal suite. Leo's predecessor, Francis, remained in the hospital for over five weeks receiving treatment for bronchitis that progressed into bilateral pneumonia. He passed away at his Casa Santa Marta residence in Vatican City on 21 April 2025, less than a month after leaving the hospital.[S1]
Papal Duties and Background
The pope, who was born in Chicago and takes pleasure in sport, tennis in particular, is widely regarded as being in sound health. He frequently retreats to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo near Rome. In September Leo made a papal trip to France, and in November he is due to visit South America on a 12-day journey spanning 10 cities. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, chosen last week as dean of the college of cardinals, the body overseeing papal conclaves, will conduct Wednesday's weekly papal audience.[S1]
