Pope Francis’s planned lung surgery this week: what we know

ROME, URUGUAY, ARGENTINA, PERU, VATICAN, 13 OCTOBER 2026 —

Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule this week at Rome's Gemelli hospital, with doctors expecting a seven-day recovery that could allow him to proceed with a planned November 6 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

The Vatican said the operation is planned "in the coming days" at the beginning of the week, though no specific date was confirmed. Italian media have speculated it could occur on Tuesday, although the pope is scheduled to preside over a Mass in St Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning with Church leaders from around the world, and no schedule changes have been announced.

Doctors expect recovery to take around a week, the Vatican press office said, which would make the Latin America trip feasible.

The 11-day visit includes Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where the pope worked as a missionary for two decades and holds Peruvian citizenship. He is otherwise healthy and known for his love of sport, the Vatican said.

The procedure will be performed under general anaesthetic at Gemelli hospital, where popes are traditionally treated.

Pope Francis spent weeks there before his death last year, and John Paul II was treated nine times over 153 days, once calling the facility "Vatican number three." The Vatican maintains a top-floor apartment at the hospital for papal use, accessed by a long corridor guarded by Italian and Vatican police and reportedly including a meeting room for medical staff, a kitchen, bathroom and rest areas.

A pulmonary nodule is a small growth of tissue in the lung. Most are benign, meaning they are non-cancerous, though a small percentage can be an early stage of lung cancer. Most small nodules cause no symptoms and are only discovered during checks for other health issues.

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