Pope hospitalized

Pope Leo XIV has arrived at Rome's Agostino Gemelli Hospital, where he will undergo surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule.

According to the radio station Rai Radio-1, the surgical intervention will be minimally invasive and could take place as early as today.

It was reported earlier that recovery after the operation would take about a week. The Vatican announced the cancellation of all events on the pontiff's schedule until October 20. At the same time, the apostolic trip to the Latin American countries of Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, planned for early November, remains on the schedule for now.

Leo XIV himself announced the need to remove a small growth in his lung. According to him, the nodule was discovered at an early stage; it is small and isolated. The lesion was detected during a routine medical examination. The pontiff is 71 years old; he was elected in May 2025.

Several hundred people gathered at the entrance to the hospital, including journalists awaiting the pope's arrival. The medical facility, meanwhile, continues to operate as usual and to admit patients.

The Gemelli Hospital is called the "third Vatican" because of the repeated hospitalizations of popes. John Paul II was treated here more than once. His successor Francis also underwent surgery twice at this hospital and was repeatedly treated for pneumonia, including shortly before his death in 2025.

A special ward on the tenth floor is set aside at the hospital to receive the pontiff. Unlike his predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI chose to undergo a cardiac procedure at a private clinic.