Pope Leo XIV Arrives at Rome Hospital Ahead of Surgery to Remove Lung Nodule
Doctors will determine whether the lesion is cancerous and may use minimally invasive robotic techniques during the procedure.
- On Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital ahead of afternoon surgery to remove a lung nodule. The operation will determine if the lesion is malignant and if further treatment is required.
- Leo revealed the nodule's discovery during his Sunday prayer, announcing the procedure to ensure his planned November trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru proceeds as scheduled. Tokyo Cardinal Kikuchi Tsutomu wrote the surgery is "not an emergency."
- Gemelli's chief thoracic surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora will lead the procedure using a minimally invasive robotic technique. Surgical risk is very small, carrying a 0.6% to 0.8% mortality rate for patients in otherwise good health.
- The Vatican canceled all of Leo's audiences through Oct. 20 as the pontiff faces a weeklong hospital stay. Oncologists say the prognosis is "excellent" if the nodule is removed at this early stage.
- This hospitalization marks the 71-year-old pontiff's second, following a 1985 bout with typhoid fever in Chulucanas, Peru. Leo previously described that earlier illness as a "cathartic moment" that paved the way to his papacy.
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Pope Leo XIV admitted to hospital for afternoon lung surgery
Dr. Stefano Margaritora, the hospital's chief thoracic surgeon, will be the lead surgeon for the pope's operation assisted by a medical team, according to the Holy See Press Office. The post Pope Leo XIV admitted to hospital for afternoon lung surgery first appeared on OSV News.
Pope Leo XIV has arrived at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he will have a lung nodule removed this afternoon, the Vatican said, according to foreign news agencies. The pope is expected to need a week to recover from the operation, which experts say is not particularly risky.
Pope Leo XIV will be operated on Tuesday at the Agostino-Gemelli Hospital in Rome. A tissue node in the lungs will be removed from the 71-year-old. All dates of the Holy Father until 20 October have been cancelled.
Pontiff to undergo operation to remove lung nodule, Vatican says
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