Pope Leo announced today that he will undergo surgery to remove a ‘localised nodule’ in his lung.

During Sunday prayers in St. Peter’s Square today, he told onlookers: ‘Recently, during some medical tests, doctors discovered a localised nodule in my lung.

‘It was detected at a very early stage and is well localised. The doctors believe it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to have it removed.’

It’s understood that the pontiff will have the surgery this week, and he told the crowd he ‘entrusts himself’ to their prayers.

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni confirmed the operation will take place this week and it will take roughly a week for Pope Leo to recover.

Robert Francis Prevost, 71, was named the first American to serve as Pope in 2025.

The Pope was born in Chicago and was made cardinal by Francis in 2023.

This past week, Pope Leo declared capital punishment ‘inadmissible’ following plans for the United States to livestream an execution by firing squad.

In a post on X, the pontiff said the death penalty ‘attacks the inherent dignity of a human being’.

He wrote: ‘The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment.

‘Effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption.’

The US Defence Department announced Thursday its intention to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted in 2009 of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a shooting spree at Fort Hood military base.

Leo didn’t refer specifically to the planned execution or the botched killing in Tennessee of Christa Pike, which saw the killer survive two attempted lethal injections. However, his post came just hours after his top deputy, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said explicitly that the planned US public execution was ‘unacceptable’.

Pope Francis previously declared capital punishment ‘inadmissible’.

Meanwhile, the head of the US bishops conference, Archbishop Paul Coakley, expressed ‘shock’ and ‘great sorrow’ at the Pentagon’s plans.

‘In no way can Hasan’s actions be condoned, but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered,’ he said in a statement Friday.

‘The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.’

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