Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove lung nodule

Pope Leo has said he will undergo surgery in the next few days to remove a small lung nodule recently discovered during a health check.

The 71-year-old leader of the Roman Catholic Church told pilgrims during his weekly Sunday blessing that “it was detected at a very early stage and is circumscribed”.

“The doctors believe it’s best to take action, so, following their advice, I’ve decided to have surgery to remove it,” he said at St Peter’s Square during remarks delivered in Italian.

The Vatican later said that a week of recovery time is expected after Leo’s surgery, though spokespeople did not say whether the nodule is believed to be malignant.

A nodule on the lung is a small, localised lesion that can be benign. The American Thoracic Society says fewer than five percent of lung nodules ultimately become cancerous, although the risk rises with age, size, and other factors such as smoking.

“Lung nodules are fairly common and are often benign,” said Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown University in the United States and division chief of hematology-oncology at Washington, DC’s MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

The pope has no previously known health problems and is considered physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

Latin American tour

The pope has a major trip planned November 6-17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It’s unclear whether the planned surgery and recovery would affect the itinerary, but Leo said earlier in his remarks Sunday that he planned to go.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wished the pope well after receiving the news, saying in a statement, “I would like to express to the Holy Father my personal support, and that of the Italian government, as he faces this challenge in the coming days.”

“The serenity and composure with which he spoke about it [today] …are reassuring,” the prime minister added.

The late Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, died at age 88. He was hospitalised several times and grew frail in his later years. He did not usually announce his hospital visits in advance, sometimes sparking intense media speculation about his health.