Pope Leo's surgery to remove a lung nodule is underway. The Pontiff arrived at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome shortly after 1 p.m. The goal is to remove the nodule in its initial, limited state, as the Pope himself stated at Sunday's Angelus, as quickly as possible to allow Leo a quick return to his daily life. Of course, this will depend on the outcome of the surgery and the subsequent biopsy, but there is a feeling of optimism in the Vatican.
Meanwhile, all hearings until Tuesday, October 20, have been cancelled , thus complying with the need for a week of post-operative hospitalization, as announced from the beginning.
The air in the Holy See buildings is one of serenity, the same one with which Leone personally announced the operation . "I saw him very well, in excellent spirits, and I would say that, if it weren't for the announcement he himself made yesterday, he doesn't give the impression of being ill: he gets up, he sits down, there are no symptoms, no pain, no discomfort," said Monsignor Jorge Eduardo Lozano, Archbishop of San Juan, Argentina, who met with him yesterday morning. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was also reassuring: "From within, they reassured us. His character is strong and the doctors are good. It seems very much under control." "I'm certain," said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, "also from the news we have, that this operation is not a serious matter."
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni clarified that there were no particular symptoms that led to the discovery of the nodule and the health workers' decision, shared by the Pope, to intervene.
Professor Stefano Margaritora, director of the Thoracic Surgery Unit at Gemelli Hospital and an expert in minimally invasive techniques, is expected to oversee the Pope's surgery. The Pope's personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone , is also expected to be present.
