Pope Leo XIV said Sunday, Oct. 11, that he will undergo an operation this week to remove a localized nodule in his lung, after doctors discovered it at what he described as a very early stage and advised surgery. The operation is scheduled for the first days of the week at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, a primary site for papal medical care. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said the expected postoperative recovery is about one week. Leo announced the plan during his weekly Sunday blessing in St. Peter’s Square. “Following their advice, I have therefore decided to undergo an operation to remove it,” he said, thanking people for their support and prayers. A lung nodule is a small abnormal area in the lung. The announcement did not identify the nodule’s cause or say whether it is cancerous. Leo has had no known previous health problems. The procedure comes ahead of a planned international trip in early November to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The Vatican has not said whether the operation will affect those plans. Leo also used Sunday’s address to renew his call for peace in Ukraine, appealing to the parties in the conflict to permit safe grain transport across the Black Sea. “The daily bread of millions of people cannot be held hostage by war,” he said. On Saturday, Leo called for the abolition of the death penalty, describing it as an attack on human dignity and arguing that public safety and justice can be achieved without capital punishment.