By Joshua McElwee and Matteo Negri
ROME, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Pope Leo will have surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon to remove a small growth on one of his lungs, in the first major health issue of his 17-month tenure.
Leo, 71, said on Sunday that the growth, a small nodule, had been found on a recent check-up, was "well-contained" and had been spotted early.
The Vatican confirmed the timing of the surgery after Leo was seen heading into Rome in a convoy of vehicles driving toward
Gemelli Hospital, about 9 km (5.6 miles) north of the Vatican.
The pope waved from a black SUV as he left the Vatican.
Upon arrival at the hospital, Leo shook hands with several officials, walked in front of a waiting crowd of well-wishers, some of whom shouted 'Auguri' (best wishes), and headed in via the main entrance.
The Vatican has said his recovery is expected to take about a week. All his public events have been cancelled until October 20.
RELATIVELY YOUNG POPE
Leo, elected by the world's cardinals in May 2025, is relatively young for a Church leader. He enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to be a smoker or to have had health issues previously.
A nodule on the lung is a small, localised lesion that can be benign. The American Thoracic Society says fewer than 5% of lung nodules overall prove cancerous, although risk rises with age, size, and other factors such as smoking.
Dr. Federico Venuto, chief of thoracic surgery at Rome's Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, said procedures to remove lung nodules are usually minimally invasive, and can sometimes involve use of a thin camera tube called a thoracoscope.
"The complication rate is extremely low," he told Reuters.
SOUTH AMERICAN TRIP
The late Pope Francis, Leo's predecessor, was hospitalised several times as he grew frail in his later years. He died aged 88 in April 2025.
Leo, who spoke in a firm, clear voice at his only public event on Monday, keeps a very busy schedule. He is due to make an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17.
In the same address on Sunday when the pope announced his need for surgery, he said he would go ahead with the trip.
The pope is the ultimate earthly authority for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and does not have a deputy who steps in when he is sick. When a pope is incapacitated, the business of the Vatican's vast bureaucracy carries on as usual, holding off on any decisions that require papal approval.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee,Additional reporting by Cristiano Corvino and Clara Schoenthaler, Writing by Keith WeirEditing by Gareth Jones)
