After Pope announces operation, CNBB says he is in prayer: 'we entrust the intercession of the Patroness of Brazil'

The 71-year-old pontiff made the announcement to the faithful during Sunday prayer in St. Peter's Square, in the Vatican (see video above). He said the nodule was detected at an early stage and its growth is "well controlled". Still, the pope said, doctors recommended surgery for removal.

🔎 A pulmonary nodule is a dense mass found in the lung. The majority of nodules detected in exams, without being associated with symptoms, tend to be benign.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni did not provide details of the exam. Bruni only said that the surgery will take place in a few days, at the Gemelli hospital, in Rome, and that the pontiff's recovery after the surgery should take about a week.

The spokesperson also did not say whether the pontiff will continue with his agenda after that -- Leo XIV has a two-week trip to Latin America in early November, the first he will make to the continent. According to the forecast, he will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, a country he has lived in for more than 20 years.

Upon receiving the news of the surgical intervention to which Your Holiness will be subjected in the coming days, we express, in the name of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, our fraternal closeness, our filial affection and our communion in prayer.

We welcome your request for prayers and we join the bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women and all the people of God in Brazil, begging the Lord to sustain you with his peace, enlighten the professionals responsible for your care and grant you a full recovery.

On the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Aparecida, we entrust your health and your ministry to the intercession of the Patroness of Brazil. May Mary accompany you with her maternal tenderness and strengthen you in the mission of confirming your brothers in the faith and leading the Church on the paths of communion and peace.