Pope's to be admitted to hospital Tuesday for lung nodule removal

(ANSA) - ROME, 12 OTT - Pope Leo XIV will be admitted to a Rome hospital in the late morning of Tuesday to have surgery to remove a lung nodule, the Vatican said Monday. The pope will be operated on on in the next few days. The lump was detected during a routine checkup and not from the emergence of symptoms such as an inflammation or an infection, the Vatican said. Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni told reporters that the American pontiff, who announced he will have the operation during his Angelus address on Sunday, was following his schedule as planned on Monday. The pope will have the operation at Rome's Gemelli hospital, which also treated his predecessors from John Paul II onwards, and the Vatican said it should take about a week for him to recover. President Sergio Mattarella and Premier Giorgia Meloni both reaffirmed Italy's closeness to the pope after Sunday's announcement. "As you prepare for your hospital stay in the coming days, please accept the affectionate thoughts of all Italians—sentiments I convey on their behalf, joined by my own," Mattarella said in a statement. "The Italian people stand with you and offer you their heartfelt affection. "You can count not only on the prayers of the Catholic faithful but also on the caring thoughts of countless people—both believers and non-believers—across Italy and around the world. "I once again offer your holiness my sincerest wishes for a peaceful convalescence and a swift, complete recovery". In a message on X, Meloni expressed "my personal closeness and that of the Italian Government" for the "trial" Leo is facing. "I am certain that the Italian people too will not fail to offer their support and affection," she said. (ANSA).
Read article...