Letter #29, 2026, Sunday, October 11: Pope Leo's Surgery Pope Leo surprised those attending his noon papal Angelus in St. Peter's Square by announcing publicly, at the end of his prepared remarks, that he will "in the coming days" go to the hospital for an operation to remove "a small, localized nodule" that has been found in one of his lungs. "Dear friends," Leo said, "during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung. "It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized. "The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it. "The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days. "I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers. "Thank you, and happy Sunday!" *** Here is a link to a video of the Pope speaking these words: On Instagram (link) On YouTube (link) And here is an AI-vocalized video from "Catholic Snack" which discusses the announcement (the inauthentic voice is quite annoying, but some valid points are made, link). *** It is quite unusual for such a medical announcement to be made publicly, for the first news regarding a medical condition, by the Pope himself personally. Usually, news about the Pope's health is issued in Vatican communiqués written by the Holy See Press Office or by the Pope's doctors. So, the fact that Leo took the opportunity of a public Angelus message to announce that he will have this surgery has been noted as out of the ordinary by many. It is being reported in Italy (but this is not confirmed) that the Pope will enter Rome's Policlinico Gemelli hospital on Tuesday, October 13, and be operated on Wednesday, October 14 — a day when he had been expected to greet and celebrate Mass with the presidents of all the bishops' conferences in the world gathered in Rome (so, a rather important appointment). During today's Angelus, Leo spoke to pilgrims from Peru, saying he would be seeing them again next month in their home country, when he makes his long Apostolic Journey to Argentina, Uruguay and Peru from November 6 to 17. So, despite this imminent surgery, the November apostolic trip is still clearly "on." Still, it is being reported in Rome (but, again, this is not confirmed) that Leo is expected to stay an entire week in the hospital to recuperate after the surgery. This suggests that the operation is, in fact, a rather serious surgery. And for older people, all such surgeries, where the patient goes under general anesthesia, may have some lingering temporary effects on those who undergo them. Leo has told the Church, and the world, that he is facing surgery, that it is a surgery for a nodule that has a relatively benign prognosis because the nodule is "circumscribed" and has been discovered at a "very early" stage, and he asked, in person, for our prayers. One commenter on Instagram, iamnana5, said, for all of us: "My prayers will hold him in my heart & thoughts & God's loving arms during this time." | 