Vatican games out possible Sunday prayer appearance as Pope Leo recovers from lung surgery

Pope Leo XIV, aged 71, underwent surgery on October 12 to remove a small nodule from his lung that was detected during recent medical checks. The Vatican announced the procedure would take place in Rome's Gemelli hospital, where several previous popes have also received treatment. Pope Leo made the announcement during his Sunday noon blessing and thanked those who had expressed concern for his health. He is expected to recover within a week but it remains unclear if this will affect his planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6-17.

The nodule was described as "circumscribed" or well-localized, with doctors advising surgery based on its early detection stage. Pope Leo has no previously known health issues and is physically active, playing weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo. As of October 15, Vatican officials reported that Pope Leo was walking in his hospital room and eating normally post-surgery.

Dr. Natasha Leighl from Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre noted that the surgery involved removing one lobe of the pope's lungs, similar to what lung cancer survivors like MaryAnn Bradley have undergone. Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada, with almost 33,000 Canadians expected to be diagnosed this year. Pope Leo has since returned to some daily activities as his recovery progresses normally.