Pope Leo hospitalized ahead of lung nodule surgery on Tuesday

Pope Leo was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Tuesday where he will have surgery to remove a small growth on one of his lungs, in the first major health issue of his 17-month tenure.

The operation will take place on Tuesday afternoon, the Vatican said in a statement.

Leo, 71, said on Sunday that the growth, a small nodule, had been found on a recent check-up, was "well-contained" and had been spotted early.

The Vatican announced the timing of the surgery after Leo was seen leaving the Vatican in a convoy of vehicles headed for Gemelli hospital, about nine kilometers (5.6 miles) north of the Vatican.

The Vatican has said his recovery is expected to take about a week. All his public events have been cancelled until October 20.

-Reporting by Joshua McElwee, Additional reporting by Cristiano Corvino and Clara Schoenthaler, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Keith Weir/Reuters