The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Leo XIV’s surgery “was successfully completed, within the expected timeframe and in the planned manner,” and that the Holy Father “has returned to his room.” The statement adds that “further information will be provided later.” For now, no additional details have been released regarding the procedure or the post-operative course.
The announcement from the Angelus window
The Pontiff himself made his condition public on Sunday, October 11, at the end of the Angelus. He explained that doctors, during recent check-ups, had found a well-circumscribed nodule in his lung, detected at a very early stage and clearly localized. He added that specialists considered intervention advisable and that, following their advice, he had decided to undergo surgery to remove it. He concluded by thanking the faithful for their spiritual closeness and entrusting himself to their prayers.
That same day, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, clarified that the surgery was scheduled for the first days of this week and that the subsequent hospital stay would last about a week at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome. The Holy See has not publicly disclosed whether the nodule is benign or malignant, and the bulletin issued after the operation does not clarify this either.
Leo XIV turned 71 on September 14 and was elected on May 8, 2025. The announcement prompted messages of support from Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Italian Episcopal Conference expressed its solidarity through a message from its president, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi.
The Gemelli and the pending trip
The popes have an apartment on the tenth floor of the Gemelli, with a bedroom, living room, and private chapel. John Paul II was the first Pontiff treated at this center and was hospitalized there ten times, the first following the 1981 assassination attempt. Francis was also admitted several times, most recently in 2025 for a respiratory condition.
The Vatican has not announced any changes to the apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, scheduled between November 6 and 17. It will be his first tour of Latin America as Pope. Peru holds special significance for him: he holds Peruvian nationality and lived in the country for nearly twenty years as a missionary and as Bishop of Chiclayo. During the same Sunday Angelus, he greeted the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles in Rome and reiterated his intention to visit the Andean country.