Pope Leo had surgery. First statement from the Vatican

Pope Leo, the spiritual leader of the Catholics, was hospitalized today to remove a small nodule detected in his lung.

The Pope, who was welcomed at the door by hospital officials, entered the building on foot.

In the statement made by the Vatican Press Office in the evening, it was stated that the surgery was completed successfully.

The statement said, "The surgery was completed successfully, as planned and as expected. The Pope returned to his hospital room." statements were included.

Stating that the piece of tissue noticed during a routine health check would be surgically removed, the Vatican announced that the 71-year-old Pope had canceled all his public programs until October 20.

Pope Leo, who had a serious health problem for the first time in his 17 months in office, noted in his statement on Sunday that the boundaries of the mass were clear and that it was caught at an early stage.

The recovery process is expected to take about a week.

Continuing his busy schedule yesterday before his hospitalization, Pope Leo attended seven separate pre-planned receptions in the morning, including bishops from Argentina, Nicaragua and the USA.

Speaking in a strong and clear tone at the only public event of the day, where he met with representatives of a Rome-based aid organization, the Pope thanked the delegation for the work carried out.

Pope Leo, elected by cardinals in May 2025, is considered relatively young among Church leaders.

It is noted that the Catholic leader, who is interested in sports such as tennis, does not smoke and has not had any known health problems before.

The Pope, who is planning an 11-day trip covering Uruguay, Argentina and Peru between November 11-17, confirmed in his speech on Sunday that he is determined to carry out this visit program.