Pope Leo XIV hospitalized ahead of lung surgery
Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital ahead of surgery on Tuesday afternoon to remove a “small, localized nodule” from his lung, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Vatican News.
According to the Holy See Press Office, the operation will be performed by the hospital’s thoracic surgery team, led by Professor Stefano Margaritora. An update on the Pope’s condition is expected on Tuesday evening.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said the nodule had been detected during routine medical examinations. The Pope is expected to remain in hospital for about a week after the procedure.
Pope Leo held all his scheduled audiences on Monday morning before arriving at the hospital at 1:07 p.m. People gathered outside, applauding and calling out greetings as his vehicle entered the hospital grounds.
The Pope greeted hospital leaders and briefly approached several patients, including people in wheelchairs, before entering the building.
Messages of support continued to arrive from churches and political leaders around the world. Some religious sisters gathered in the hospital’s St. John Paul II Chapel to pray for the Pope. Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, was scheduled to lead the Rosary there at 6 p.m.
Elena Beccalli, rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, also conveyed the university community’s support and prayers during the Pope’s hospitalization.
“As he is admitted to the hospital, we accompany him with our prayers, mindful of the close bond between our university and the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation,” she told Vatican News.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Pope Leo XIV would undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a small nodule in his lung.