The Pope announces that he has a nodule in his lung and is going to undergo surgery

Pope Leo XIV, 71, announced by surprise this Sunday, after praying the Angelus from the window of his apartment in the Vatican, that he has a nodule in his lung and will undergo surgery in the coming days. "The doctors have found a nodule limited to the lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well located. The doctors consider it appropriate to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo an operation to remove it. The procedure is already scheduled for the next few days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and I commend myself to your prayers," he told the faithful.

The spokesman for the Vatican Press Room, Matteo Bruni, later released a brief statement with some more information: “In response to journalists' questions, I can clarify that the procedure is scheduled for the beginning of next week and that the expected duration of the hospital stay after the operation is approximately one week.” Although the center where the operation will take place has not been officially announced, it is most likely that it will be at the private Gemelli hospital, where the last pontiffs since John Paul II have been admitted.

The lung nodule is an abnormal mass of tissue that in most cases is benign, although in others it can be cancerous. After the operation, doctors will be able to better determine its nature. However, the mere fact of performing the intervention, according to the doctors consulted, may indicate that the doctors already know that it is a malignant nodule, after performing a previous biopsy, and that is why they have decided to remove it. At the moment, there is no more information from the Holy See in this regard.

The type of operation, the same sources explain, depends on where the nodule is located. If it is accessible, near the ribs, it is an easy intervention, but if it is closer to the thorax, close to vital areas, it is more complex. The severity of the case, if it were malignant cells, then depends on the type of tumor found. It is not until 10 or 14 days after the operation that it is determined what type of malignant cell it is and what treatment it involves. There are tumors for which surgery is sufficient, but others later require chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or immunotherapy.

In any case, at the same time that he revealed his health problem, the Pope did not fail to confirm this Sunday his next trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled from November 6 to 17, which reflected optimism to continue with his agenda. He did so when greeting the Peruvian faithful who were participating in the Plaza de San Pedro in a procession of the Lord of Miracles: “Thank you for your prayers for the pastoral visit that I will make to Peru.”

This is the first time that Leo The Pope's love for tennis is well known and he continues to play every week when he retires every Monday and Tuesday to the pontifical residence of Castelgandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, where there is also a swimming pool and he practices swimming.

When he was elected, it came to light that he frequented a gym that was near the Vatican, the Omega Fitness Club, where many did not even know that he was a priest. That's why they were shocked when they saw him appear dressed in white after being elected pope. "When he came to the gym, he mainly used our cardio machines. It is evident that he cared about his physical fitness and he shows it today as well. It is nice to see that, despite his new life as Pope, he continues to give importance to taking care of the body, as well as that of the mind and spirit. I am very happy to be able to say that we have a fit Holy Father," declared Alessandro Tamburlani, president and founder of the center.

Prevost's personal trainer, Valerio, told the SIR agency that Prevost did a well-balanced circuit: "He did his things here, on the machines. He started with a little cardio and then went on to do a machine circuit. He said that it made him feel good, that he felt healthy. He didn't talk much, but he was happy. He was a good student, he trusted me and followed my advice carefully. It didn't take me long to explain the exercises to him: he understood them immediately and executed them well."