Pope Leo XIV: Hospitalization at Gemelli for a Lung Nodule and Status of Visit to Argentina

Pope Leo XIV, 71, was hospitalized on Tuesday, October 13, at Rome’s Gemelli hospital to undergo surgery in the afternoon for a lung nodule. The finding occurred during a routine check-up and, according to the pontiff himself, the condition is in an «initial and well-localized state.» The Holy See anticipates a week of hospitalization and has suspended audiences until October 20.

What is known for certain about the operation

The Holy See Press Office confirmed the admission to Agostino Gemelli University Hospital and specified that the surgery will take place this Tuesday afternoon. The procedure will be performed by a thoracic surgery team led by Professor Stefano Margaritora, consisting of seven people. The pontiff is also accompanied by his personal physician, Luigi Carbone, and nurse Massimiliano Strappetti.

The technique and duration were not officially confirmed. Andrea dell’Amore, head of thoracic surgery at the University Hospital of Padua, told La Repubblica that a robot or a probe will probably be used and estimated that the procedure could last about an hour and a half. That estimate comes from a specialist consulted by a media outlet, not from an official medical report.

The Vatican denied versions that attributed the finding to inflammation. So far, no further details about the nature of the nodule have been reported. Leo XIV’s own description during the Sunday Angelus is one of the central pieces of available information.

Status of the visit to Argentina

For now, there have been no changes to the planned visit from November 8 to 11. The stop in the country is part of his first tour of Latin America as pontiff, which includes a previous stop in Uruguay and a later one in Peru.

The Archbishop of Mendoza and president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, Marcelo Colombo, stated: «There have been no modifications; on the contrary, everything seems to point toward keeping it.» He clarified, however, that an operation of this nature requires particular attention after the procedure.

Japanese Cardinal Isao Kikuchi, president of Caritas Internationalis, said that Leo XIV conveyed his intention to preserve the trip and that he decided to undergo surgery as soon as possible to «not change his plan to visit Latin America.» The Archbishop of San Juan, Jorge Lozano, saw him looking well and calm, and spoke with him about the upcoming trip.

President Javier Milei referred to the possibility that it may be necessary to adjust the calendar: «We pray for him so that he can come to Argentina. If the situation requires a shift in the date, we are available to make the necessary adjustments,» he said in an interview with Radio Mitre.

What each source provides and what is not confirmed

La Nación provides the institutional and medical information: hospitalization, surgical team, suspension of audiences, Holy See forecasts, and statements from ecclesiastical and political authorities about the trip. Crónica, on the other hand, focuses on the viral spread of a 2017 horror film, El habitante, directed by Uruguayan Guillermo Amoedo, which in its first minutes shows a fictional broadcast about the death of Pope Leo XIV from lung failure.

Both sources mention the hospitalization at Gemelli and the lung condition, but they do not mutually confirm each other. Crónica does not provide official medical data or details about the operation; La Nación does not address the film or the viral theories. The coincidence of the papal name and the association with respiratory problems in the fiction is a detail that Crónica attributes to reactions on social media, not to a verified fact about the pontiff’s health.

Director Guillermo Amoedo explained that the choice of the name was based on research into ancient texts and theology, with references to prophecies attributed to Saint Malachy and Saint Hildegard of Bingen, and consultations with religious specialists. That explanation is a statement by the filmmaker reported by Crónica, not a confirmation of any causality.

Verifiable data and a derived calculation

• Age of Pope Leo XIV: 71 (La Nación).
• Date of hospitalization: Tuesday, October 13 (La Nación).
• Hospital: Gemelli, Rome (both sources).
• Expected hospitalization: one week (La Nación).
• Suspension of audiences: until Tuesday, October 20 (La Nación).
• Surgical team: seven people, led by Stefano Margaritora (La Nación).
• Trip to Argentina: November 8 to 11, no changes for now (La Nación).
• Film mentioned: El habitante, released in 2017, available on Netflix (Crónica).

Value module: derived calculation

Document: journalistic articles from La Nación and Crónica (secondary sources). Agency and date: not applicable; there is no official document setting the deadlines. Unit: days. Values used: expected hospitalization of seven days from October 13; suspension of audiences until October 20. Operation: October 20 minus October 13 = 7 days. The denominator is the expected hospitalization period, not confirmed medical data. The coincidence between both periods suggests internal consistency in La Nación’s information, but does not constitute independent confirmation.

No currencies or units are converted because the material does not include exchange rates or conversion factors. Original units are preserved (days, years, dates).

What to follow

The official report after surgery and the evolution of recovery are the data that will make it possible to know whether the forecast of a week of hospitalization holds and whether the visit from November 8 to 11 remains scheduled. It is also worth following the Holy See’s communications about the nature of the nodule and the conditions for resuming the public agenda. Statements from ecclesiastical authorities and President Milei are positions on a possible scenario, not confirmations of changes to the calendar.