Pope Leo XIV to Undergo Lung Nodule Surgery After Public Clash with Trump Over Condemnation of US-Israel War on Iran

The Vatican announced on October 12 that Pope Leo XIV, following the recent discovery of a lung nodule during a medical check-up, will undergo surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital within the coming days, with an expected recovery period of about one week. According to Africanews, the pope revealed the news to the faithful while presiding over the Angelus prayer at St. Peter's Square that day, saying the nodule was "detected at a very early stage" and is "very localized."

"The doctors believe intervention is necessary, so I am following their advice and have decided to undergo the excision surgery. The surgery has been scheduled for the coming days," the 71-year-old pope said during his weekly address. Born in Chicago under the name Robert Francis Prevost, he was elected on May 8, 2025, as the first American pope, succeeding his Argentine predecessor Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88.

The Vatican press office said the expected recovery time is approximately one week, but did not disclose further details about the nature of the nodule or whether it is benign or malignant. Gemelli Hospital has treated popes since the time of John Paul II. Italian Prime Minister Meloni said in a statement that the "calmness" shown by the pope during his Angelus address "reassures us," and expressed the concern of the Italian government for the pope; Ukrainian President Zelensky posted on the social media platform X, wishing the surgery "success" and a "speedy and full recovery."

But what truly thrust this former Chicagoan onto the global news pages was not the health news itself, but rather the moral stance he has taken over the past eight months on a Western-led war. After the US-Israel war on Iran in February, the pope became a vocal critic of the conflict, characterizing President Trump's threat to destroy Iran as "absolutely unacceptable" and calling on Americans to demand that their legislators "work for peace."

In response to the Holy See leader's public denunciation, Trump immediately struck back, dismissing the pope as "weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy." The pope replied that he had a "moral obligation to speak out." This exchange placed the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide in direct opposition to Washington's threats against Tehran: while the Trump administration was pressuring Iran through verbal escalation and military options, the Vatican rejected the logic of exchanging threats for diplomacy and instead publicly stood on the side of peace. This stance is a continuation of his predecessor Francis's criticism of armed conflict over Ukraine and Gaza, but it has been especially pointed because of Leo's American origins — the criticism of a "native" pope by the US executive branch amounts to a public denial of the legitimacy of moral criticism.

The Vatican has not indicated whether the surgery and recovery will, as scheduled, affect the pope's international visit to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to 17. In Chiclayo, Peru, one of the cities set to receive the visiting pope, 62-year-old faithful Olga Poll said: "A lung nodule is no small matter. May God grant him the ability to travel by plane and let him recover quickly." The Argentine Bishops' Conference has also called on the faithful to pray specifically for the pope's surgery to be "successful" and for a "speedy and full recovery."