Pope Leo XIV was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Tuesday ahead of surgery later in the day to remove a small, localized lung nodule, in the first publicly disclosed major health issue of his 17-month papacy. The 71-year-old pontiff walked into the hospital through the main entrance and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him, according to the Associated Press.
The Vatican said the operation to remove the nodule from the Pope’s lung would be performed later on Tuesday afternoon by a team led by Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora. A weeklong hospital stay is expected, and all of the Pope’s audiences have been cancelled through October 20.
FAKTA
- Pope Leo XIV, 71, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Tuesday, October 13, ahead of surgery to remove a localized lung nodule.
- The operation, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, will be led by Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.
- The surgery will determine whether the nodule is malignant and if further treatment is needed; outside oncologists say the prognosis is excellent because it was caught at an early stage.
- The Pope revealed the discovery of the nodule during his Sunday Angelus address on October 11.
- All papal audiences are cancelled through October 20; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle will preside at the October 14 Mass in St. Peter’s Square instead.
Pope Leo XIV walks into Gemelli hospital for lung surgery
After the short drive from the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV entered the Gemelli hospital on foot, greeting the crowd of well-wishers waiting outside, the Associated Press reported. The hospital on the outskirts of Rome has long been the traditional place of treatment for popes — both John Paul II and Pope Francis were treated there.
The Pope had announced the operation himself during his Sunday noon prayer in St. Peter’s Square, telling the faithful that doctors had found a “small, localized nodule” during recent routine medical examinations. “I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it, following their advice,” he said, according to Vatican News.
A week in hospital and a changed Vatican schedule
The Pope is expected to remain in hospital for about a week after the operation. The hospitalization has forced changes to the Vatican’s calendar: Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the new dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside in the Pope’s place at the October 14 Mass in St. Peter’s Square closing the Vatican meeting marking the tenth anniversary of Amoris Laetitia.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina will lead a Rosary for the Pope at 6 p.m. Rome time in the hospital’s St. John Paul II Chapel, broadcast by Vatican Media. In Washington, Cardinal Robert McElroy asked every priest of the archdiocese to say a Mass for the Pope’s recovery.
Doctors see an excellent prognosis for the pontiff
Outside oncologists who are not involved in the Pope’s care say that because the nodule is small and localized, complete surgical removal at this stage may be fully curative even if it turns out to be malignant. “These are things that can be treated very well,” said Dr. Lorenzo Spaggiari, director of thoracic surgery at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, quoted by the Associated Press.
A churchman who saw the Pope on Monday said Leo told him he felt fine and decided to have the surgery immediately so that he would not have to alter his upcoming travel plans, including a Latin America trip scheduled for November 6–17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
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