Pope Leo is facing lung surgery. According to the report, doctors discovered a clearly localized nodule during medical examinations, prompting a decision to operate in the coming days. Now, as he asks for prayers and prepares for recovery, an unanswered question hangs over his South American visit: will the procedure force changes to a journey scheduled for next mon…

During his Sunday noon blessing at the Vatican, Pope Leo announced that he would undergo an operation to remove a lung nodule, according to the supplied account. He said the finding was well defined, detected very early, and that doctors had recommended its removal. The Vatican statement cited in the report placed the procedure in the first days of the following week, with postoperative recovery expected to take around one week. Leo thanked those listening and asked them to remember him in prayer.

The account reported no previous health concerns and described the pontiff as physically active. Whether his scheduled two-week visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru would proceed remained unclear. The announcement also followed his renewed opposition to capital punishment, which he called an assault on human dignity. Alongside the medical update, that message emphasized protecting society without denying those convicted of crimes the possibility of redemption.