Pope Leo XIV announced Sunday that he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodular lesion on his lung that was recently discovered during medical checks.
The 71-year-old pope said the nodule was found early and was "circumscribed," or well localized. The Vatican later said Leo would undergo surgery in the first days of the week, with an expected recovery time of a week.
The American pope made the announcement during his Sunday noon blessing. He thanked the crowd for their closeness and entrusted himself to their prayers.
A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 3 centimeters (1 inch) that sometimes appears on a CT scan of the chest or abdomen, according to the American Cancer Society. Often, the scans are done to investigate trauma or a lung infection, unrelated to a lung cancer screening.
Leo has no previously known health problems and is considered physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.