Pope Leo XIV admitted to Gemelli Hospital ahead of surgery
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital and will undergo surgery on Tuesday afternoon to remove a "small, localized nodule" from his lung.
According to the Holy See Press Office, the operation will be carried out by the hospital’s thoracic surgery team, led by Professor Stefano Margaritora.
An update is expected in the evening.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said the nodule had been found during routine medical examinations.
He confirmed that Pope Leo is expected to remain in the hospital for about a week after surgery.
The Pope held all his scheduled audiences on Monday morning, as messages of support continued to arrive from Churches and political leaders around the world.
Greetings upon Pope's arrival
Pope Leo XIV arrived at Gemelli Hospital at 1:07 p.m. People waited outside applauded and called out greetings as his vehicle entered the hospital grounds.
The Pope greeted members of the hospital’s leadership and briefly approached several patients, including people in wheelchairs, before going inside. Staff, patients, and visitors also gathered along his route through the hospital.
Among those waiting was Aurora, a student at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. “I wanted to be here to greet the Holy Father,” she said.
Some religious sisters remained in the hospital’s St. John Paul II Chapel to pray for the Pope. Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, is scheduled to lead the Rosary there at 6 p.m., as parishes and religious communities across the diocese join in prayer.
Elena Beccalli, rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, conveyed the university community’s affection for Pope Leo and assured him of its prayers during his hospitalization.
“As he is admitted to the hospital, we accompany him with our prayers, mindful of the close bond between our university and the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation," she told Vatican News. "We are also deeply grateful for his teaching, which urges us to place the dignity of every person at the center and to build dialogue and peace.”
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