APTOPIX Vatican Pope Surgery
Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where doctors expect to remove a lung nodule.
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The Vatican has detailed laws, rituals and norms to transfer papal power if a pope dies or resigns. But none of them apply when he is sick or even unconscious. Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery Tuesday to remove a nodule on his lung. As a result, he remains pope and very much in charge even from the operating room at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. Nothing changes in his status, role or power since being elected the 267th pope on May 8, 2025. Leo already delegates the day-to-day running of the Vatican and church to a team of officials who operate whether he is in the Apostolic Palace or not.
Pope Leo XIV has arrived at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for surgery to remove a lung nodule. He walked in and waved to well-wishers gathered outside. Leo revealed on Sunday that doctors discovered the nodule and recommended its removal. The Vatican says he will be hospitalized for at least a week, with all audiences canceled until October 20. Experts say the surgery will determine if the lesion is malignant and if further treatment is needed. Leo has been transparent about this health issue, which is the first major one of his papacy.
