Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove small growth on lung

Pope Leo said on Sunday that doctors had detected a small growth on his lung during a recent health check and he would be undergoing surgery this week to remove it, in the first health scare of the 71-year-old pontiff's tenure.

Leo told pilgrims in St. Peter's Square for his weekly Sunday prayer that the growth was "well-contained" and caught at an early stage.

"Recently, during some medical examinations, doctors found a localized nodule in my lung," said the pontiff. "It was detected at a very early stage and is well contained."

"The doctors believe it is advisable to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it," he said. "The operation is already scheduled for the next few days."

Leo, elected pope by the world's cardinals in May 2025, is relatively young for a Church leader. He enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to previously have had health issues.

The late Pope Francis, Leo's predecessor, died at age 88 and was increasingly frail in his later years.

The Vatican press office said Leo's recovery from surgery was expected to take about a week. It did not immediately provide further details about the pope's health.

-Reporting by Joshua McElwee, Francesca Landini;Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Alexandra Hudson/Reuters