Pope Leo XIV Underwent Lung Surgery: What Is Known About His Condition
Kyiv • UNN
A small nodule was removed from the pontiff’s lung at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. The operation went according to plan; his subsequent condition has not yet been reported.
Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery on his lung. The operation was successful and proceeded according to plan, UNN reports, citing Sky News.
A report on the results of the operation appeared on Tuesday, October 13.
Details
According to the publication, the pontiff was operated on at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. During the surgery, doctors removed a small nodule from his lung. The Vatican confirmed that the operation was successful and proceeded without deviating from the planned course.
As Sky News notes, this is Leo XIV's first serious health problem since the beginning of his pontificate.
Additional information about the pontiff's postoperative condition, the length of his hospital stay, and his subsequent recovery is not currently known to the general public.
What the Pope himself said about his illness
Leo XIV had previously spoken himself about the details of his illness. According to him, the growth in his lung was detected at an early stage, and doctors assured him that removing it would not be difficult, as the nodule was "well localized." The doctors convinced the pontiff that he needed to undergo surgery, and he decided to agree.
Pope Leo XIV decided to undergo surgery at Gemelli University Hospital in Rome. On the day of the operation, he arrived there by car. He walked on his own to the square, where he was met by a team of medical professionals led by his attending physician, Luigi Carbone.
Reminder
Earlier, the current pontiff's predecessor, Pope Francis, had lung problems. In February 2025, he was hospitalized with pneumonia. He never fully recovered and died in April of the same year.