St. Paul Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV is recovering as expected after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, the Vatican said Oct. 14, as U.S. Catholic leaders and longtime friends of the pope expressed concern for his health but confidence that his illness would not deter him from carrying out his mission.

Pope Leo underwent surgery Oct. 13 at Rome's Gemelli hospital to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after medical tests detected a suspicious growth that was later confirmed to be cancerous. The removed tissue was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that develops in specialized glandular cells.

His first night in the hospital passed peacefully, and doctors conducted blood tests and a chest X-ray as scheduled on his first day of recovery, according to Vatican communiques released Oct. 14.

"The results confirm a normal post-operative course: the values are within the expected range for the type of procedure performed," the Vatican said in an afternoon announcement relaying the doctors' findings.

The pope also began respiratory therapy, walked around his hospital room and ate, the Vatican said.

Augustinian Father John Lydon, a longtime friend of Pope Leo, told Catholic News Service Oct. 14 that he was concerned for the pope's health but had confidence in his doctors and was praying that chemotherapy would not be necessary.

Father Lydon, who served as a missionary in Peru for 10 years alongside the pope, was in Rome for Villanova University's International Sustainability Conference as director of the university's Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration.

He said the diagnosis would not change the convictions that guide Pope Leo's leadership, particularly his commitment to the poor and to synodality, a process of listening and dialogue within the Church.

"I think all those things are kind of part of who he is, and I don't think any medical issue changes that," Father Lydon said Oct. 14. "We're hopeful that the medical thing will just quickly be pushed aside, but concerned, obviously."

Augustinian Father Peter Donohue, president of Villanova University, also told CNS during the conference that he did not expect Pope Leo's medical condition to diminish his determination to pursue his priorities.

"Knowing what he's like, I don't think they'll stop him," Father Donohue said.

Recalling Pope Leo's years as prior general of the Augustinian order, Father Donohue described a leader who remained composed even when confronting disagreements or difficult decisions.

He said the pope was not afraid to speak out when he believed something was wrong and needed to be corrected, but he never appeared rattled.

"I don't think this is going to affect the way he does things," Father Donohue said. "He's got a great physical strength in terms of the man he is, but he also has a great spiritual strength," he said. "He will manage it."

Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Pope Leo has offered an example of faith and courage in the face of illness.

"He shows himself as a man of great faith and putting himself in the hands of God in a very simple and profound way," he told CNS Oct. 14.

"As members of our own families face illnesses, sometimes we don't know, what can we do, but there's a sense that it's in God's hands, and I think that's the example the Holy Father gives us," he said.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told CNS Oct. 14 that he was "as surprised as anyone else" to learn of Pope Leo's diagnosis and need for surgery.

He called on Catholics to pray for the pope and to remember that "God is with us and God has a plan," urging them "just not to lose hope, not to doubt God's providence and his plan," because he called Pope Leo to the pontificate. 

The diagnosis and removal of a section of his lung have also raised questions about the pope's upcoming apostolic journey to South America, scheduled for Nov. 6-17, with stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

The Vatican has not announced any changes to the trip, which remains on the pope's official schedule.

Father Donohue said many people in Peru, where Pope Leo spent much of his ministry as a missionary, priest and bishop, are eagerly awaiting his return. He said he believed the pope would be reluctant to disappoint them by canceling the visit.

"I will assure you if they say it's okay, he's going to be on that plane," Father Donohue told CNS.

The pope's cancer diagnosis and treatment come as another member of his family is undergoing treatment for the disease.

Deborah Prevost, the wife of the pope's oldest brother Louis Prevost, told CBS News Oct. 13 that her husband has multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting plasma cells, a type of white blood cell.

She said her husband was first diagnosed in 2017 and underwent treatment in 2019, including a stem cell transplant and participation in a clinical trial, which kept the cancer at a "very low level." However, he "fell out of remission" three months ago, she said, and is undergoing treatment again.

The pope's parents also had histories of cancer. His mother, Mildred, died in 1990 at age 78 after being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. His father, Louis, died in 1997 of colon cancer and heart disease.

According to a medical report released by the Vatican late Oct. 13, the pope's surgery lasted approximately 90 minutes, although he was in the operating room for about three hours. The procedure included waiting for histological test results. The operation was successful, with no complications.

Using a small video camera called a thoracoscope, surgeons removed the entire lower lobe of the pope's right lung to ensure the removal of the tumor and surrounding tissue. The histological examination confirmed the earlier preoperative suspicion of lung cancer.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, reiterated to reporters Oct. 14 that the pope was still expected to remain in the hospital for a week. The prefecture of the papal household canceled his public audiences and events through Oct. 20.

Among the events the pope was unable to attend was the closing Mass Oct. 14 for a weeklong Vatican meeting marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation "Amoris Laetitia," on marriage and family life.

WASHINGTON – “For citizens in a representative democracy such as our own, participation in public life—including voting—is both a right and a responsibility,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a message leading up to Election Day in the United States on Tuesday, November 3. 

Archbishop Coakley’s full message follows:

“In a time of deep political division, the temptation is to be discouraged and to not participate in the election process. But discouragement is not a Christian virtue. For citizens in a representative democracy such as our own, participation in public life—including voting—is both a right and a responsibility.

“In honoring this civic duty, it is important to ensure that citizens not face unnecessary delays or complications in registering or exercising their right to vote. Together, we can contribute to the common good of our nation as faithful citizens by supporting free and fair elections. 

“I would ask all Catholics to put their faith before politics. The Church’s contribution to the public life of a nation is not a political or partisan program; rather, it reflects our commitment to the dignity of every person, who is created in the image and likeness of God. 

“One of the great dangers of our moment is the belief that any criticism of ‘our party’ somehow strengthens our opponents. A well-formed conscience does not operate on those terms. Therefore, I encourage all to judge candidates and elected officials by their actions, not merely their promises, and how those actions promote the common good. We must reject rhetoric that appeals to fear, resentment, or division, and listen instead, to the Gospel call to love God and all our neighbors. 

“May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, bless our nation as we turn once more to elections, that we might respect the dignity of each person and promote the common good of all.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Doctors removed a cancerous tumor from Pope Leo XIV's lower lobe of his right lung, after pre-operative medical tests raised suspicions, according to a medical report released by the Vatican.

The removed lung tissue was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that develops in the specialized cells lining certain internal organs.

"The Holy Father was in the operating room for about three hours; the surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. The surgery was successful, and there were no complications," the Vatican press office said in a communique released late Oct. 13.

With the assistance of a tiny video camera or thoracoscope, doctors at Rome's Gemelli hospital performed a "radical surgery" in which they removed the entire lower lobe of the right lung to ensure that the entire tumor and surrounding tissues were removed, it said. 

Radical surgeries to treat cancer usually involve removing a tumor along with surrounding tissues and structures, such as lymph nodes, that may contain cancer. A Vatican source said early post-operative exams should be ready late Oct. 14.

Pope Leo said in his initial announcement of the impending surgery after praying the Angelus Oct. 11 that doctors "found a small, localized nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized."

The late-evening announcement from the Vatican said a histological examination during the procedure confirmed what earlier medical tests had suggested. The communique was based on a statement issued by the pope's personal doctor, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and the lead surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.

"The procedure was successful, and there were no complications," the Vatican announcement said, after confirming earlier that it also went according to schedule and as planned.

After surgery, Pope Leo regained consciousness "normally" and was returned to his hospital room. He also asked for dinner, a Vatican source told reporters.

The latest medical report came at 10 p.m. Rome time, a few hours after the procedure had ended a little before 7:45 p.m.

The news followed an evening rosary that was held in the chapel of the hospital, presided over by Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, papal vicar of Rome. 

Vatican Radio had reported that churches and religious communities across Rome were also invited to pray the rosary. Vatican News reported that churches in several countries were celebrating Mass, including the pope's hometown of Chicago at St. Mary of the Angels Church and Chiclayo, and his former diocese in Chiclayo, Peru, where its cathedral held a Mass for him. 

Pope Leo had arrived at the Rome hospital a little after 1 p.m. local time in a Fiat car with "SCV 1" license plates. After it pulled up to the front entrance, he emerged smiling and waving to the crowd of well-wishers and onlookers, and greeted hospital officials. 

The Vatican press office told reporters in an earlier communique Oct. 13 that the pope would be operated on by a thoracic medical team led by Dr. Margaritora, who is the hospital's director of thoracic surgery and head of the neuroscience and chest department as well as a professor of thoracic surgery at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Rome early Oct. 13 that he had spoken with the pope the day before and said he sounded "very serene."

"Truly, the Holy Father is a great example of this," he said. "I am worried because I certainly did not expect something like this," however, "thank God, it was found quickly."

Cardinal Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo met with Pope Leo Oct. 12 and told the Italian daily La Repubblica that the pope told him he did not want to cancel his planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

Therefore, "he decided to immediately undergo the necessary care," the cardinal told the newspaper. "This is a minor intervention, a small operation. It's nothing serious."

Matteo Bruni, head of the Vatican press office, had told reporters the pope is expected to need about one week of recovery, and the prefecture of the papal household said all of the pope's audiences and public events had been canceled until Oct. 20.

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Contributing to this story was Josephine Peterson in Rome.

WASHINGTON - “There is much that can be done to avoid the rupturing of our families and communities brought about by indiscriminate and aggressive enforcement actions,” said Bishop Brendan Cahill and Reverend Walter Kim in an ecumenical statement released today.  

Bishop Cahill serves as the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration and Reverend Kim as the president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Together, they lead the Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration (ECDI) as its co-chairs. 

Today’s statement, “A Call for Christian Compassion and Wisdom in the Immigration Debate,” represents the first such statement on immigration in U.S. history to be jointly issued by senior leaders of the Catholic and evangelical traditions. 

The statement’s timing corresponds to a significant increase in the number of reported detentions and deportations, especially in the wake of several groups of immigrants having their legal protections revoked by the U.S. government. This is inflicting particular hardship on families with members who have differing immigration statuses, many of whom face the threat of separation.

Reflecting on the statement’s significance, Bishop Cahill and Reverend Kim stated: 

“What is unique about this statement is not the content, which is grounded in centuries of Christian teaching and tradition that we have already affirmed separately, but the clear unity that exists between us in this moment. As pastors devoted to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we share a responsibility to articulate our convictions, even when it comes to subject matter as challenging as immigration. In doing so together, we seek to embrace our common heritage as both Christians and Americans. Through the ECDI, we have found a strong sense of fraternity and common purpose. It is from this sincere and patriotic perspective, and with deep concern for those affected by current immigration policies, that we offer this statement with both conviction and hope.”

Launched in March 2026, the ECDI is a joint initiative of the USCCB and NAE. It includes five evangelical and five Catholic members, in addition to the co-chairs. Several leaders of organizations affiliated with each tradition also participate in the effort as observers.

For the full text of the statement and more information about the ECDI, please visit usccb.org/ecdi.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- An operation to remove a small nodule from Pope Leo XIV's lung was successful, and he was recovering in his room, according to the Vatican press hall.

"The procedure was successful" and went according to schedule and as planned, it said in a Telegram message Oct. 13, adding that the pope had gone back to his hospital room after the surgery.

The brief medical report came before 8 p.m. Rome time, about seven hours after he arrived at Rome's Gemelli hospital for the scheduled surgery. 

The news followed an evening rosary that was held in the chapel of the hospital, presided over by Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, papal vicar of Rome.

Vatican Radio had reported that churches and religious communities across Rome were also invited to pray the rosary. Vatican News reported that churches in several countries are celebrating Mass, including the pope's hometown of Chicago at St. Mary of the Angels Church and Chiclayo, and his former diocese in Chiclayo, Peru, where its cathedral held a Mass for him.  

Pope Leo had arrived at the Roman hospital a little after 1 p.m. local time in a Fiat car with "SCV 1" license plates. After it pulled up to the front entrance, he emerged smiling and waving to the crowd of well-wishers and onlookers, and greeted hospital officials.

The Holy See Press Office told reporters in a communique Oct. 13 that the pope would be operated on by a thoracic medical team led by Dr. Stefano Margaritora, who is the hospital's director of thoracic surgery and head of the neuroscience and chest department as well as a professor of thoracic surgery at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome.

Pope Leo had made the unexpected announcement

Pope Leo had made the surprise announcement about his surgery after the Sunday Angelus Oct. 11 that doctors had recently found "a small, localized nodule" in his lung and that he would have it treated surgically sometime this week.

"It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized," he told visitors and pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. "The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it."

"I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers," he had said.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Rome early Oct. 13 that he had spoken with the pope the day before and said he sounded "very serene."

"Truly, the Holy Father is a great example of this," he said. "I am worried because I certainly did not expect something like this," however, "thank God, it was found quickly." 

Cardinal Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo met with Pope Leo Oct. 12 and told the Italian daily La Repubblica that the pope told him he did not want to cancel his planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

Therefore, "he decided to immediately undergo the necessary care," the cardinal told the newspaper. "This is a minor intervention, a small operation. It's nothing serious."

A lung nodule is a small mass of dense tissue on the lung, according to the American Lung Association. Lung nodule surgery can be part of diagnosing and treating atypical lung growth.

Expected recovery and canceled events

Matteo Bruni, head of the Vatican press office, had told reporters the pope is expected to need about one week of recovery, and the prefecture of the papal household said all of the pope's audiences and public events had been canceled until Oct. 20.

It was the first time as pope since his election May 8, 2025, and the second time in his life that the 71-year-old pope has been hospitalized, according to an interview he gave U.S. journalist Elise Harris Allen in 2025.

The first time was in 1985, when he was a missionary priest in Peru and was taken to a private clinic in Piura after coming down with typhoid fever in Chulucanas.

"It's the only time in my life that I've been hospitalized," he said in the interview he gave just a few months after his election. "That was a very significant point for me, because it was like you've dealt with sickness.'"

Vatican gathering postpones release of report

Pope Leo attended all of his seven scheduled morning appointments Oct. 12, the day before his hospitalization.

However, he did not participate in the afternoon session of the global gathering of the presidents of bishops' conferences and heads of the Eastern Churches, who are at the Vatican Oct. 7-14 reflecting on the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' "Amoris Laetitia" and the task of proclaiming the Gospel with families today.

Cardinals Kevin Farrell and Mario Grech released a joint statement at the start of the afternoon session Oct. 12, saying the assembly would not be making its final summary report public as previously announced since the pope would be unable to participate in the last days of the meeting.

"Once the Holy Father has completed his convalescence, we will present to him the results of the assembly, which he is awaiting," the statement said. "We will then proceed according to his instructions."

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has nominated Reverend Milad Yaghi, MLM, as the Bishop of the Nuestra Señora de los Mártires del Líbano en México Eparchy of the Maronites (Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of the Martyrs of Lebanon in Mexico). Father Yaghi currently serves as pastor of Our Lady of the Cedars Maronite Catholic Church in Houston, Texas.

The announcement was publicized in Washington, D.C. on October 12, 2026, by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-elect Yaghi’s biography may be found here.

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WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV announced to those gathered for the Sunday Angelus this morning that he would soon undergo surgery to remove a localized nodule in his lung. Upon hearing the news, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered his prayers for the Holy Father and to those caring for him:

“This morning, the Holy Father announced he will undergo surgery for a lung nodule in the coming days. The bishops of the United States join with the faithful and all people of good will in praying for his good health. May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician Jesus Christ. Please find a moment today, as I will, to offer a prayer for Pope Leo and his care team.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV announced that doctors recently found "a small, localized nodule" in his lung and that he will have it treated surgically sometime this week.

He made the announcement in Italian after praying the Sunday Angelus with visitors and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, Oct. 11:

"Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized.  The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it. The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers. Thank you, and happy Sunday!"

Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican press office, told reporters that the procedure will take place in the coming days at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, and it is expected to require approximately one week of recovery. 

A lung nodule is a small mass of dense tissue on the lung, according to the American Lung Association.  Lung nodule surgery can be part of diagnosing and treating atypical lung growth.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, invited the faithful to pray for the pope's good health:

"The bishops of the United States join with the faithful and all people of good will in praying for his good health. May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician Jesus Christ. Please find a moment today, as I will, to offer a prayer for Pope Leo and his care team."

Pope Leo was scheduled to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from Nov. 6 to 17, with stops in: Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida; Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján; Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa.

There were no announcements Oct. 11 as to any changes to his trans-Atlantic travel plans, and in his remarks to pilgrims in the crowd for the Angelus, he thanked members of the Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros in Rome and others "for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru."

WASHINGTON – World Mental Health Day is observed each year on October 10. This year, the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development issued a message recognizing mental health as an “urgent pastoral challenge,” and invited the Church to engage with people struggling with their mental health. In his monthly prayer intention, Pope Leo XIV prayed for mental health ministry to be established throughout the Church and encouraged overcoming the stigma and discrimination often shown towards people with mental illnesses. 

Each October, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) renews its commitment to a pastoral response to the mental health crisis in the United States through its National Catholic Mental Health Campaign. Resources to promote education and awareness are accompanied by a call to prayer and action through a Novena for Mental Health that runs from October 10-18. The novena is an invitation for parishes to participate in Mental Health Sunday on October 11 and encourages local groups interested in forming a mental health ministry to go to usccb.org/mentalhealth, as well as the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers and Catholic Charities USA.

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WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the U.S. Department of War announced that the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the man convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, would be publicly livestreamed. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement sharply condemning the decision of the U.S. government:

“It is with shock and great sorrow that I have learned of the Department of War’s decision to publicly livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan. Our God is the God of life. In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered. The word of God exhorts us: ‘do not repay anyone evil for evil' (Romans 12:17). The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.

“I pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel that we as a nation may always choose life even in the most trying times and circumstances.”

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