ROME and LONDON — Pope Leo XIV departed the Vatican on Tuesday for a hospital in Rome, where he’s scheduled to undergo an operation on Tuesday to remove a nodule from his lung.<\/p>\n
“As announced, Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital,” the Vatican press office said in a statement. “This afternoon, he will undergo surgery for a lung nodule performed by the thoracic surgery team led by Professor Stefano Margaritora.”<\/p>\n
![\"Agostino](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/cccce4f7-7267-4b26-8cdd-adc02ed05c1c\/vatican-main_1791889370818_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Agostino")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>Pope Leo waves from a car window as he leaves the Vatican, ahead of his hospitalization for surgery to remove a lung nodule, in Rome, Italy, October 13, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Remo Casilli\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Vatican said additional information would be provided Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n The pontiff said<\/a> on Sunday he would undergo surgery for a nodule found on his lung, adding that operation was to take place in the “next few days.” His recovery at the hospital in Rome was expected to last about a week, the Vatican said.<\/p>\n The St. Peter’s Basilica on the day Pope Leo is expected to be admitted to hospital for a surgery to remove a lung nodule, in Rome, Italy, October 13, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Remo Casilli\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A lung nodule, also known as a pulmonary nodule, is a small mass of dense tissue on the lung, according to the American Lung Association<\/a>. Leo on Sunday said the nodule was discovered by doctors in “a very initial phase” and that it was “well localized.”<\/p>\n “The doctors think it is opportune to intervene,” the 71-year-old said.<\/p>\n Pope Leo XIV leaves the Vatican before being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital for an operation to remove a lump from his lung, in the Vatican on 13 October 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Tiziana Fabi\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of State, said that as he listened to Leo’s announcement on Sunday, he was “struck by his serenity” according to Vatican media.<\/p>\n “We are confident,” he reportedly said, “and of course we all accompany him with our prayers and our affection.\u201d<\/p>\n The statue of the late Pope John Paul II and Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Leo is expected to be hospitalised to undergo surgery to remove a small growth on his lung, in Rome, Italy, October 13, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ciro De Luca\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Gemelli Hospital, which is formally the Policlinico Universitario Fondazione Agostino Gemelli, is the largest hospital in Rome.<\/p>\n It’s the primary medical facility commonly used by popes, including Leo’s immediate<\/a> predecessor<\/a>, Pope Francis, who died in 2025<\/a> at the age of 88.<\/p>\n Leo, a Chicago native and the first American pope, who was previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected<\/a> the church’s 267th pontiff in May 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Ciro](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/69757cbf-c902-4740-91fb-3ced0301411b\/vatican-main_1791871073634_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Ciro")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>![\"De](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/9386d0e6-c3bb-44a5-8887-1a4f2903d929\/pope-main_1791889369101_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"De")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>![\"Gemelli\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/afbd36c2-dbfb-465d-9829-e04f1fa746e4\/hospital-embed_1791880658943_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375 "\\"Gemelli\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>