Rome. Pope Leo XIV has to undergo lung surgery at short notice. The head of the Catholic Church surprisingly announced during his Sunday prayers in front of tens of thousands of believers in the Vatican that he had been diagnosed with a “lump in his lungs” that was in its early stages. It remained unclear whether it was benign tissue, a precursor to cancer or a malignant tumor.
At 71, the American-born pope is one of the younger popes in church history. So far there have been no known health problems. When he was elected last May, it was widely assumed that he would have a very long pontificate ahead of him.
Leo - whose real name is Robert Francis Prevost - has been the first pontiff from the USA to lead 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide since May 2025. According to information from the Vatican, the operation will take place in the next few days at the Gemelli Clinic in Rome, where popes are traditionally treated. Leo then needed about a week to recover, it was said. Actually, a longer trip to South America is on the agenda next month.
Leo's predecessor Francis was also treated in the Gemelli Clinic until shortly before his death. The Argentine has been missing part of his lung since he was young.
During his Sunday prayer, to everyone's surprise, the Pope addressed the faithful in St. Peter's Square with a personal message: "The doctors have discovered a nodule in my lung, which is in the early stages and is well localized," he said. "The doctors think surgery is appropriate. And so, on their advice, I decided to have an operation to have it removed." Leo spoke in Italian, his voice firm.
No further details were initially known. Such announcements are quite unusual in the Vatican. In the past, a great secret was often kept about the state of health of the respective pope, until recently. Now, however, there were no signs until Sunday that Leo might have problems. His Argentine predecessor Francis was treated in hospital for weeks until he died in his Vatican apartment in April 2025 at the age of 88.
A lump in the lung can have very different causes: previous inflammation or infections, benign growths - but also lung cancer or metastases from a tumor elsewhere in the body. Final clarification often only comes from a tissue sample or surgical removal. Many lumps discovered by chance are not cancerous.
The Pope spoke of a knot in its early stages. However, doctors usually do not divide a lump into stages. Rather, stages refer to a diagnosed disease such as cancer. It is conceivable that Leo used the term colloquially for a small or early discovery.
The American-born pope is one of the relatively young popes in the history of the Catholic Church. In the conclave it only took a day and a half after Francis' death until he was elected. Since then, he has drawn attention to himself through an encyclical - a teaching letter - on the subject of artificial intelligence. He also took opposing positions to US President Donald Trump on various topics, which made headlines around the world several times.
This included numerous appeals to resolve wars through diplomatic channels, as well as warnings about the humane treatment of refugees and criticism of the death penalty. With regard to Trump, he warned against “fantasies of omnipotence that are becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive around us.” Leo responded to insults from the US president who called him “terrible” by saying: “I am not afraid of the US government.” In the church he is considered a bridge builder between the different wings.
During his year and a half in office, no health problems were reported. On the contrary: Leo kept fit with tennis, swimming and regular exercises. According to press reports, there is also a fitness studio in his apartment in the Apostolic Palace above St. Peter's Square. The American always shares his passion for various sports and clubs - including the White Sox baseball team from his hometown of Chicago - with those around him.
Just at the end of last month, during a trip to France, Leo was cheered by more than a million believers at various stops at large open-air masses. He completed a large program from early in the morning to late in the evening for four days in a row without showing any weaknesses.
Next month, Leo has an almost two-week trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on the agenda. The former global head of the Augustinian Order worked as a missionary and bishop in Peru for many years. He also has Peruvian citizenship. There has also been no pope in Argentina for a long time: Francis never returned to his homeland during his entire pontificate.
During his Angelus prayer he did not indicate that he wanted to forego the trip. As Pope, Leo is also the head of state of the Vatican. With an area of less than half a square kilometer and fewer than a thousand inhabitants, the Papal States in the middle of Rome are the smallest states in the world.
