St. Paul Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Doctors removed a cancerous tumor from Pope Leo XIV's lower lobe of his right lung, after preoperative 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 at Rome's Gemelli hospital 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 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 tumour 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 Oct. 11 during his Angelus 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 two doctors on the team performing surgery on the pope: Dr. Luigi Carbone and 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 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.

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.
 

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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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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pursuing a higher education that values human intelligence can help counter the many "false teachers" exploiting people's deep yearning for truth, faith and meaning, Pope Leo XIV said.

Reason, memory and critical thinking are "fundamental for both faith and mission," the pope told students from the pontifical universities of Rome during an evening Mass in St. Peter's Basilica Oct. 8.

"Reason, posing questions in light of God's word and the Church's Tradition, is an essential part of the journey of faith in following Jesus Christ," he said. 

The pontifical universities and institutes in Rome enroll more than 15,000 students from some 125 nations; they study theology and philosophy, but also liturgy, sacred music, communications, canon law, archaeology and other subjects.

Reason, faith and the warning about false teachers

In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the day's first reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians (3:1-5), which assures the Gentiles that faith in Christ is what matters and opposes claims that circumcision and observance of the law are needed to bring the promised gift of God's Spirit and righteousness.

That portion of St. Paul's letter is "an appeal to reason, memory and critical thinking," Pope Leo said, because "in every age, there is no shortage of false teachers who exploit the religious sentiments of many believers for their own interests, often pushing them to radicalize certain aspects of the teaching they have received at the expense of the whole, which is Christ and his Gospel."

The pope told the students to "consider study as a service to faith and truth: for your own good and for the good of so many brothers and sisters for whom the Lord gave his life."

Encountering Christ "brings joy and enthusiasm," the pope said. "It is never a matter of being 'bewitched' or 'enchanted.'" 

Because human intelligence and reason play such a fundamental role in faith, the Catholic Church "has both the desire and the responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the treasure of revelation and to develop, within diverse contexts, a prayerful understanding of it, scholarly reflection, cultural mediation and practical application," he said.

"The mind must not simply compile data -- as an algorithm now does more quickly than we can -- but recall lived experiences, which contain depths of meaning that only the human soul can recognize, and connect more deeply with the goodness of these experiences," Pope Leo said.

"Routine, ambitions, rivalries and other negative factors can, over time, divert our attention and energy, leaving us exhausted and listless, quarrelsome and sad," the pope said. "We must therefore return to the heart" so that "every stage of life and every responsibility may be lived 'with the Spirit.'"

Connecting university studies with life and service

He urged students to use their time at university to forge new friendships, especially with people from other countries. 

"Listen to the longing of God," he said, and "bring it into scientific research. Let us share what nourishes us. There are many who do not have the same educational opportunities that we have received."

"Remain rooted in the people of God, value its 'sensus fidei,' and be open to its questions," he told them, and "do not forget the poor."

"Bring life into your studies and your studies into life, following the logic of the Incarnation, apart from which revelation falls silent," he said. "Indeed, the further we stray from the complete reality that the Son of God took on and lived with infinite love, the less we will have to say and the fewer opportunities we will have to understand."

WASHINGTON – When the U.S. bishops gather in November for their Fall Plenary Assembly (November 16-19), they will vote for a Conference secretary, as well as chairmen for six standing committees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). 

The position of USCCB secretary is up for a vote due to the fact that Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend was elected during the bishops’ 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly to complete the term left vacant when Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, who was serving as USCCB secretary, was elected as Conference president. 

Each bishop elected will serve for one year as the chairman-elect of the respective committee before beginning a three-year term at the conclusion of the bishops’ 2027 Fall Plenary Assembly. 

The following bishops were nominated (listed under committee in alphabetical order):

USCCB SECRETARY-ELECT / CHAIRMAN-ELECT, COMMITTEE ON PRIORITIES AND PLANS

• Bishop Earl K. Fernandes, Diocese of Columbus
• Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend

COMMITTEE ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION

• Bishop James D. Conley, Diocese of Lincoln
• Bishop Edmund J. Whalen, auxiliary bishop, Archdiocese of New York

COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS

• Bishop Daniel J. Felton, Diocese of Duluth
• Bishop Louis Tylka, Diocese of Peoria

COMMITTEE ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE CHURCH

• Bishop Steven J. Maekawa, O.P., Diocese of Fairbanks
• Bishop Michael M. Pham, Diocese of San Diego

COMMITTEE ON DOCTRINE

• Bishop William M. Joensen, Diocese of Des Moines
• Bishop Steven J. Lopes, Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter

COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL COLLECTIONS

• Bishop Mark A. Eckman, Diocese of Pittsburgh
• Bishop Gerald L. Vincke, Diocese of Salina

COMMITTEE ON PRO-LIFE ACTIVITIES

• Bishop John T. Folda, Diocese of Fargo
• Bishop Donald J. Hying, Diocese of Madison

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