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US Bishops and Lawmakers Pray for Pope Leo After Cancer Diagnosis
Confirmed
In Short: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the faithful to pray for Pope Leo after he underwent successful surgery for lung cancer.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the faithful to pray for Pope Leo in a post on X, following his successful surgery for lung cancer.
Just before 10 p.m., a joint statement by Dr. Stefano Margaritora, chief thoracic surgeon at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, and Dr. Luigi Carbone confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by preoperative tests.
Pope Leo, 71, disclosed during his Oct. 11 Angelus address that doctors had found a 'localized nodule' in his lung.
The pope said, 'The doctors believe intervention is advisable, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to have it removed.'
The surgery was successful, with no complications, and the Holy Father has returned to his hospital room.
The Archdiocese of New York in an X post asked for prayers for Pope Leo’s recovery, saying, 'Bless Pope Leo XIV with strength and peace as he faces this illness and unite him ever more closely with your Son.'
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, 'Pope Leo XIV is one of our own, a Chicago kid who carried the values of our neighborhoods all the way onto the world stage, and today our whole city is wishing him strength and a full recovery.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X, 'Jeanette and I are united in prayer for (Pope Leo)’s health following his recent diagnosis.'
Individual bishops and dioceses in the U.S. also urged prayer.
Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., wrote in a post on X, 'Saint Teresa of Avila reminds us that 'those who were nearest to Christ our Lord were those who had the greatest trials.' This is no doubt true of (Pope Leo).',' joining Catholics in prayer.
In Jerusalem, Our Lady of Pilar College, also known as the Spanish School, shared photographs of its students gathered in the school courtyard to pray for peace.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the newly elected dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the closing Mass for the Vatican meeting of bishops on marriage and family on Oct. 14.
What this adds
The news of Pope Leo's cancer diagnosis and successful surgery has prompted widespread prayer and support from around the world, including from political figures and religious leaders.
What's confirmed
- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the faithful to pray for Pope Leo in a post on X.
- The 71-year-old pope disclosed during his Oct. 11 Angelus address that doctors had found a “localized nodule” in his lung.
- “The doctors believe intervention is advisable, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to have it removed,” Pope Leo said.
- “Bless Pope Leo XIV with strength and peace as he faces this illness and unite him ever more closely with your Son,” said the Archdiocese of New York in an X post asking for prayers for the restoration of the pope’s health.
- “Pope Leo XIV is one of our own, a Chicago kid who carried the values of our neighborhoods all the way onto the world stage, and today our whole city is wishing him strength and a full recovery,” Jackson said in a post on X.
- “Doctors at Gemelli Hospital removed a cancerous tumor from Pope Leo XIV’s right lung, according to the Holy See Press Office,” the post said.
- “We are grateful to hear that the surgery was successful, and we pray that the Holy Father will experience a full and peaceful recovery,” Bishop Eckman said.
- Louis asked “all people of good will to join us in prayer for Pope Leo XIV and those who are caring for him.” Bishop Mark A.
- Individual bishops and dioceses in the U.S. also urged prayer.
- Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., who is Catholic, wrote in a post on X, “Saint Teresa of Avila reminds us that ‘those who were nearest to Christ our Lord were those who had the greatest trials.'” “This is no doubt true of (Pope Leo),” he said.
- As a result, the morning Mass took place without the presence of the pope, just hours after the Vatican announced that late Oct. 13 that the surgery had confirmed a diagnosis of lung cancer for the 71-year-old pope.
- 7-14 gathering of the world’s bishops’ conference presidents and the heads of Eastern Catholic churches marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ document on the family, “Amoris Laetitia,” prayed for Pope Leo’s recovery in the Prayer of the Faithful during the Mass and listened to the words that the pope had prepared for them.
What's still developing
- In a Middle East scarred by war, children in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria gathered in churches and schoolyards this month to answer Pope Leo XIV’s call to pray the rosary for peace, joining more than a million young people worldwide.
- Against this backdrop, in the Maronite Diocese of Antelias, more than 1,300 students gathered around Bishop Antoine Bou Najem to pray.
- War, economic instability, and emigration are driving a decline in Christian communities across the Holy Land, said Bishop Iyad Akram Twal, auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
- Students from schools in the Maronite Diocese of Antelias pray the rosary for peace. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Maronite Diocese of Antelias In Palestine, the prayer for peace took place against the backdrop of the devastation and displacement caused by the war in Gaza, whose effects continue to weigh heavily on children and families there.
- “We are praying today for children living in fear, for those who have no home, and for those enduring war, hunger, and sorrow,” Bou Najem said.
- | Credit: Suzie El Hage Their prayers were part of “One Million Children Praying the Rosary,” organized by the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), and took place Oct.
- “I encourage you to begin to share with your Episcopal Conferences and Dioceses what you have lived and received, and to continue proclaiming the Gospel with families, drawing on the richness of ‘Amoris Laetitia,'” the pope said.
- “I join with Catholics around the world and here in the Diocese of Springfield sending our collective prayers for our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, as he recuperates from Tuesday’s thoracic surgery. The word ‘cancer’ can be an emotional blow, shaking us to our core, and one that reminds us that we are all mortal. But the ‘Word of God’ and the power of prayer are far more formidable,” Bishop Byrne wrote.
- Cupich of Chicago, Pope Leo’s hometown, said in an Oct. 13 statement that while the cancer diagnosis was not the news they hoped to hear, “we are heartened by the skill and optimism of his physicians and the countless prayers” being offered for the pope.
- PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — Following Pope Leo XIV ‘s Oct. 13 post-surgical diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, OSV News spoke with several medical experts who noted the prevalence of the disease, as well as its likely treatments and outcomes.
- “Your Beatitude, your presence helps us better understand our identity as the Church, which is a communion in Christ the Lord of the Churches of various rites and traditions, in a unity that is expressed tangibly with the Successor of Peter,” he added.