Pope Leo XIV arrived Tuesday at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome for a procedure to remove a small nodule from his lung, according to the supplied Fox News report.
The 71-year-old pontiff said Monday that doctors found the nodule at an early stage and advised removing it. He said he agreed to the procedure on their recommendation. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Leo was expected to stay in the hospital for approximately one week; the report said the surgery was not expected to take long.
The Vatican has not disclosed whether the nodule is cancerous or provided further details about the diagnosis or procedure. The report also said it was unclear whether treatment and recovery could affect Leo’s planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Leo became pope in 2025. He is the first American-born pontiff, according to the report. On Monday, he also renewed his call for peace in Ukraine, saying the war’s consequences extend beyond the country, including to poorer nations reliant on grain exports.
This account reflects information available in the source report dated Oct. 13, 2026; the Vatican had not released further medical details in the material provided.
