▲ Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome on the 13th (local time) for a lung nodule removal surgery.
Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, Italy, to undergo surgery to remove a nodule found in his lung, the Vatican's official media outlet Vatican News reported on the 13th (local time).
According to the Vatican and other sources, the Pope arrived at the hospital at around 1:10 p.m. that day, walking into the building and raising his hand to greet the crowds who cheered and applauded him.
Professor Stefano Margaritora, head of the hospital's thoracic surgery department, is scheduled to perform the surgery this afternoon.
The Vatican announced the previous day that the Pope's recovery period is expected to be about a week following the surgery, and that all official audiences scheduled through the 20th have been cancelled.
A pulmonary nodule is an abnormal tissue mass less than 3 centimeters in diameter.
Patients who undergo lung nodule removal surgery are generally known to be able to be discharged within a few days.
Pope Leo XIV, 71 this year, is noted for having ascended to the papacy at a relatively young age compared to his predecessors.
He is known to enjoy sports such as tennis and has no significant medical history.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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