Vatican says Pope Leo's lung surgery was successful
The pontiff returned to his hospital room after doctors removed a lung nodule in Rome.
Follow-up to: Pope Leo cancels audiences before lung surgery Monday, 12 October 2026, 20:11
Pope Leo XIV has undergone surgery to remove a lung nodule. The Vatican said the operation was completed successfully and as planned. The 71-year-old pope returned to his room at Rome's Gemelli hospital, according to the Vatican spokesman.
The operation took place on Tuesday at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital, where Pope Leo had been admitted earlier in the day. The Vatican said the procedure was completed on schedule and that the pope had returned to his room after the operation.
The announcement is the latest development in a health issue first disclosed by Leo during Sunday's Angelus. He said doctors had found a small, localised nodule in his lung during recent medical examinations and had recommended surgery.
Vatican News reported that Leo arrived at the hospital at 1.07pm and that the operation was carried out by the hospital's thoracic surgery team. Professor Stefano Margaritora led the team, according to the Holy See Press Office.
The Vatican had said before the procedure that the pope was expected to remain in hospital for about a week. The statement announcing the successful operation gave no further clinical details or information about the nodule's diagnosis.
The operation has also altered the pope's public schedule. The Vatican cancelled all his audiences through 20 October, while his normal public activities are expected to remain limited during his recovery.
The Vatican's description of the surgery as successful does not by itself establish what the nodule was or whether any further treatment will be needed. The next update is therefore expected to focus on Leo's recovery and on any medical findings that the Holy See chooses to disclose.
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The article is based on a Vatican statement and contemporaneous AP reporting. It distinguishes the confirmed surgical outcome from medical information that had not yet been released.
- confirmed Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery to remove a lung nodule on 13 October 2026. — Reported by AP and the Vatican before and after the procedure. source
- confirmed The Vatican said the operation was completed successfully, on schedule and as planned. — The wording is attributed to the Vatican statement carried by AP. source
- confirmed Leo returned to his room after the operation. — Reported by the Vatican spokesman through AP. source
- confirmed The operation was led by Professor Stefano Margaritora and Leo was expected to remain in hospital for about a week. — Both details were reported by Vatican News from the Holy See Press Office. source
- confirmed The Vatican cancelled the pope's audiences through 20 October. — Reported in AP's account of the Vatican schedule change. source
Editor's note
The Vatican and AP confirm that the operation was completed successfully and that Leo returned to his room. The diagnosis of the nodule and any need for further treatment remained undisclosed.Sources
- Vatican says pope’s lung nodule surgery was successfully completed — The Associated Press
- Pope Leo XIV admitted to Gemelli Hospital ahead of surgery — Vatican News
- Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove nodule in his lung — Vatican News
The story so far
- Monday, 12 October 2026, 20:11 Pope Leo cancels audiences before lung surgery
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 20:32 Vatican says Pope Leo's lung surgery was successful (this article)
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