Opinion

DR MARC SIEGEL: Pope Leo's lung surgery puts modern medicine alongside faith

Professor Stefano Margaritora will perform minimally invasive VATS surgery Tuesday at Rome's Gemelli Hospital

By Dr. Marc Siegel Fox News

Published October 13, 2026 1:24pm EDT

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Pope Leo arrives at hospital for surgery to remove lung nodule

Pope Leo XIV arrived to Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome for a procedure to remove a small node on his lung Tuesday.

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When Pope Leo XIV visited Lourdes, France, on Sept. 26, he drank a glass of water from the spring at the Grotto of Massabielle, where St. Bernadette Soubirous reported visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858.

Who knew last month that the pope might be calling on the healing waters to help in his own healing as he faces surgical removal of what the Vatican has described as "a small localized nodule" that he has said "was identified at a very early stage and well situated." 

The surgery will take place Tuesday, Oct. 13, followed by a week of recovery at Rome’s highly rated Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital. Small lung nodules are often detected on CT scans of the lungs. If the nodule is small and well circumscribed, and has characteristics, including irregularities that are concerning for malignancy, as may be the case here, removal can often be performed using minimally invasive techniques.

POPE LEO ARRIVES AT HOSPITAL FOR SURGERY TO REMOVE LUNG........

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