Letter #30, 2026, Tuesday, October 13: Leo’s surgery, #2
Pope Leo XIV underwent successful surgery at Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after doctors found a malignant tumor. An examination of the removed tissue confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma; the operation lasted about 90 minutes and had no complications. The Pope awakened normally, was alert, and asked for dinner after returning to his hospital room. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the tumor was described as localized but declined to speculate about whether further treatment is needed or whether the Pope can make his planned November trip to South America.
about 3 hours ago
Pope Leo XIV is recovering in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital after surgery on October 13 to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, where doctors confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Updates through October 15 describe his recovery as proceeding normally, while the cancer’s final stage, any need for further treatment, and the effect on his planned November trip remain unsettled. 1 3 5
The operation lasted about 90 minutes, with the Pope in the operating room for approximately three hours. Surgeons used a video-assisted technique to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, aiming to excise the tumor and surrounding tissue; the procedure was reported as completed without complications. 1 2
An examination of tissue during the operation confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, which doctors had suspected from preoperative tests. The Vatican has not publicly reported a definitive cancer stage, lymph-node findings, or whether all disease was removed. 1 2
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni explained that the description of the lesion as localized did not establish its size or prove that cancer cells were absent elsewhere. He also said he had no information about lymph nodes and did not rule out further treatment; the Vatican had announced no chemotherapy plan. 1
After surgery, Leo awakened normally and was alert enough to ask for dinner. On October 14, doctors said routine blood tests and a chest X-ray had normal results; he began respiratory physiotherapy, walked around his room, ate normally, and concelebrated Mass in a temporary hospital chapel. 1 2
On October 15, the Holy See Press Office reported that the Pope had a good second night and got up for breakfast. Doctors said routine checks were normal and the chest X-ray showed good recovery of the operated lung; Leo carried out daily activities independently and completed a physiotherapy session involving a full range of physical activity. 2 3
He continued some work while hospitalized: reports said he received Archbishop Paolo Rudelli and signed two bishop appointments. The Vatican had not announced whether Leo would lead the public Angelus from the hospital on Sunday, and his scheduled audiences had been canceled through October 20. 4 5
The Vatican’s earlier estimate of about a week in hospital had not changed as of October 15. Bruni said the Pope’s recovery and his doctors’ advice would determine whether he could undertake the planned November 6–17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru; no new decision about the trip had been announced. 1 2
Further examination of the removed tissue was expected, with reporting noting that complete biopsy results could take at least a week. Until those findings and any additional clinical assessments are available, the sources do not establish the cancer’s final stage or whether further treatment will be needed. 1 5
Theology of illness, healing, and pastoral leadership in the Catholic Church
Catholic theology sees illness as a real evil that calls for compassionate treatment, not as proof that a person has sinned or lacks faith. Healing is broader than bodily cure: it includes care for the whole person—body, mind, relationships, and spiritual life—and, in the Church’s sacramental life, the hope of communion with Christ. Pastoral leadership therefore means being present to the sick, arranging practical and spiritual support, and recognizing sick people not merely as recipients of care but as active members of the Church.
The Church rejects the claim that every illness is punishment for a person’s wrongdoing. Scripture and Catholic teaching acknowledge that suffering can sometimes be connected with sin, but illness also afflicts the just; the suffering of Job is a particular witness against treating sickness as proof of guilt. Illness remains an evil, even when faith may find meaning or spiritual fruit within it.
Christ’s example shapes the Church’s response. The Gospels present him as drawing near to the sick, including people who were marginalized, and resisting the tendency to label them sinners. Care begins with personal attention and dialogue, not with assumptions about what the person needs or why the illness has occurred.
Christian meaning does not require pretending that suffering is good in itself or that its mystery has been fully explained. The Church looks to Christ’s Passion and Resurrection: Christ entered into suffering, and his presence offers hope without promising that every illness will be physically cured.
Catholic care seeks the good of the whole person. Health is more than the absence of disease; it includes psychological, spiritual, and social well-being. The Church’s ministry therefore complements appropriate health care with compassion, prayer, accompaniment, and attention to the person’s dignity.
The sacraments have a particular place in this care. Anointing of the Sick is not simply a ritual for the final moments of life, nor is it a guarantee of physical recovery. It is a sacrament through which Christ acts in the Church to strengthen and accompany the sick person. Alongside Anointing, Penance and the Eucharist—especially as Viaticum, meaning spiritual nourishment for the final journey—belong to the Church’s care for people facing serious illness or approaching death.
Prayer for healing is fitting, but it should not be used to blame a sick person when a cure does not occur. The Church’s pastoral responsibility includes praying with the sick while continuing practical care and companionship. The available sources affirm both prayer for healing and the reality that illness remains an evil; they do not support treating lack of recovery as evidence of weak faith.
Pastoral leadership is more than arranging occasional visits or administering sacraments. It means building a community capable of attention, nearness, listening, dialogue, shared responsibility, and concrete help. Such care should be coordinated across the ecclesial community and include families, clergy, health-care workers, chaplains, and volunteers.
The priest has a specific sacramental and pastoral role: the sick are encouraged to call for the Church’s ministers, and priests are called to respond, bringing the prayer and sacramental ministry of the Church into the experience of illness. But the broader responsibility belongs to the whole community. The sick person is not merely an object of service; he or she can remain an active and responsible participant in the Church’s life and mission.
This vision also has implications for Catholic institutions and public care. The Church is called to defend the dignity of sick people and to work with health professionals in ways that serve the person as a whole, rather than treating health merely as a commodity.
In sum, Catholic pastoral leadership holds together truthful recognition of illness, hope in Christ, appropriate medical and human care, and the Church’s sacramental ministry. It does not promise that suffering will disappear; it seeks to ensure that no sick person is abandoned, reduced to a diagnosis, or denied the hope and dignity that belong to a beloved person.