Pope Leo’s lung nodule surgery completed successfully – Vatican

Pope Leo XIV has undergone successful surgery to remove a lung nodule, the Vatican announced on Tuesday.

“The procedure was completed successfully, within the expected timeframe and as planned, and the Holy Father has returned to his room,” the Holy See Press Office said. It promised further information at a later time.

The operation was carried out at Rome’s Gemelli hospital by a team led by its chief thoracic surgeon, Dr Stefano Margaritora. The 71-year-old pontiff had earlier walked in through the main entrance and waved to dozens of well-wishers gathered outside.

It is the first publicly disclosed major health problem of Leo’s 17-month papacy, and the American pope has been unusually open about it. He revealed the discovery of the small, localised nodule during his Sunday noon prayer and said he would have it removed.

The Vatican has said the nodule was found during regular checks. It is not known whether it is cancerous, though doctors say most nodules of this kind are benign.

Oncologists say that even if the nodule proves malignant, Leo’s prognosis is “excellent” because it will have been removed at an early stage.

“These are things that can be treated very well, if the words he used reflect the clinical situation,” said Dr Lorenzo Spaggiari, director of thoracic surgery at the European Institute of Oncology (EIO) in Milan. He is not involved in the pope’s care but knows the Gemelli team.

As the operation began on Tuesday evening, medical staff recited the Rosary in the hospital chapel. The Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, opened the prayer.

“Let us join together in prayer, asking the Lord to sustain our bishop, Pope Leo, and to comfort all those who are hospitalized here,” he said.

The surgery is fairly low risk and is usually performed under general anaesthesia. It requires a weeklong hospital stay, and the Vatican on Monday cancelled all of Leo’s audiences through 20 October.

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The timing is significant because Leo is due to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru at the start of November. Doctors typically advise about three weeks of recovery without flying.

The itinerary is the most ambitious of his papacy so far. It would take him just over 19,000 miles on a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, including a significant altitude change in Peru.

Tokyo Cardinal Kikuchi Tsutomu, who saw Leo on Monday, said the pope chose to have the operation soon so his plans for future overseas trips would not change.

“He has decided to undergo surgery soon in order to not change his plans for future overseas trips, so there is no need to worry, as it is not an emergency,” he said.

(CBS News)