Pope Leo XIV expresses gratefulness for prayers and support post surgery

 

Pope Leo XIV smiles as he greets the crowd at the Sunday Angelus (AFP)

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Pope at Angelus: ‘I have truly felt your support’

Pope Leo XIV thanks doctors, nurses, and staff at the Gemelli Hospital for their care during his recent hospitalization, and expresses gratitude “to all those who have prayed for me over these past few days”.

By Christopher Wells

At the conclusion of the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV thanked all those who have been praying for him in recent days, saying, “I have truly felt your support. Thank you!”

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17/10/2026

Pope Leo XIV returns to Vatican after being discharged from hospital

He went on to express “special gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and all the staff at the Gemelli Policlinic”, where he underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove a cancerous nodule from his lung.

“This experience has allowed me to feel, in a particular way, a closeness to all those who are living through illness or a state of infirmity”, the Pope said on Sunday.

The Holy Father was released from hospital on Saturday afternoon, after blood tests and a chest x-ray in the morning confirmed he was fit to be discharged. Before leaving the hospital, Pope Leo was able to thank personally the doctor who performed the surgery, as well as the medical and nursing team, the healthcare staff, the rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, and the leadership of the hospital.

Pope set to 'gradually' resume activities

Concluding his remarks at the Angelus, Pope Leo said, “Now that this delicate phase has passed—as you know—I will gradually resume my activities, always with the help of God and your prayers”.

Ahead of the Pope’s surgery, the Prefecture of the Papal Household, which coordinates the Pope’s public activities, had announced the cancellation of all the Pope’s audiences through Tuesday, 20 October.

From Deacons Bench, CBS/AP and Vatican News: Pope Leo's surgery confirmed cancer; lower lobe of his right lung removed

 

BREAKING: Pope Leo has lung cancer

From CBS News/AP: 

Pope Leo XIV’s surgery confirmed that he has lung cancer, and he had the lower lobe of his right lung removed, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.

The 71-year-old pontiff was in the operating room for about 3 hours, the statement said. The surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the statement said.

Vatican News adds:

“An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations,” the doctors said.

The Pope was in the operating room for approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes. The doctors said it was successful and there were no complications.

Pope Leo awoke normally after surgery and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor, according to the statement.

Professor Margaritora led the surgical team, assisted by Professor Elisa Meacci, Dr. Maria Teresa Congedo, and Dr. Leonardo Petracca Ciavarella.

The anesthesia team comprised Professor Massimo Antonelli, Dr. Giovanni Punzo, and Dr. Giuseppe Bello.

Following the operation, Pope Leo was served dinner in his room.

The New York Times provides this context:

Medical advances and increasingly effective drug therapies mean that a lung cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. Often, however, because they are normally asymptomatic, lung cancers are not discovered until they are at a late stage, when surgery is no longer an option.

“You can heal from a lung tumor,” said Dr. Lorenzo Spaggiari, a thoracic surgical oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan who is not part of the pope’s medical team. A patient of his once ran the New York Marathon after having a lung removed, he said.

“The important thing is to catch it an initial stage,” Dr. Spaggiari said.

Pope Leo XIV remembered the tragedy of 9/11 during today's Angelus Address

 

The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City 

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• Pope Leo XIV
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Pope: Remembering the tragedy of 9/11 urges us to work for peace

Pope Leo XIV prays for those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks and appeals for prayers for peace for our war-torn world.

Vatican News

“Two days ago marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States of America,” said Pope Leo XIV in English as he addressed the faithful after the Angelus prayer on Sunday.

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11/09/2026

Remembering 9/11, 25 years later: 'We are never alone'

Almost 3,000 people died in coordinated terror attacks on New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, and hundreds have died since of 9/11-related illnesses.  

Speaking from the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square, he said he renews his prayers “for those who lost their lives and for those who continue to bear the wounds of that tragic day.”

Appeal for prayers for peace in the world

And urgently the Pope added: “At a time when conflict and violence afflict so many of our brothers and sisters, I invite everyone to pray that the Lord will bestow his gift of peace upon the world.”

Switching to Italian, he noted that the tragic event of twenty-five years ago drives us to “renew our commitment to peace, first and foremost with prayer, that we entrust to the intercession of the Virgin Mary.”

Pope Leo XIV to contemplative nuns: prayer, work & Eucharistic Adoration

 

Pope Leo XIV meets with the Perpetual Adorers of the Most Blessed Sacrament  (@VATICAN MEDIA)

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Pope: Church needs a Eucharistic spirituality of unity in love

Meeting with contemplative nuns, Pope Leo XIV upholds their role in the Church as weavers of communion with the threads of prayer, work, and Eucharistic adoration.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV met on Saturday with several members of the Perpetual Adorers of the Most Blessed Sacrament, also known as the Sacramentine Nuns.

Founded in Rome in 1807 by Blessed Maria Maddalena of the Incarnation, the contemplative nuns devote their lives to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Day and night and follow the rule of St. Augustine.

Those who met with the Pope form part of the Federation of the Holy Spirit, a group of around 30 convents, mostly in Mexico, which was founded 50 years ago and includes roughly half of the congregation’s convents spread across the globe.

In his address, Pope Leo called the Sacramentine Nuns’ presence “a radiant testimony to the gratuitousness of God, who sows within the human heart the desire to seek and contemplate His face.”

Their devotion to Eucharistic adoration, he said, offers a response to the profound longing for God written deep in the human heart.

“This constant search for the face of God, which particularly characterizes monastic life, takes on a special dimension in the vocation you have received,” he said. “It is expressed in a life devoted entirely to the continuous and silent adoration of God who has made Himself bread and who invites us to unite ourselves with Him in the sacrifice of the altar, so as to form one body.”

Pope Leo pointed to St. Augustine’s explanation that the bread and wine upon the altar are the “sacrament of the unity of the faithful in Christ.”

“For this reason,” he said, “we need a Eucharistic spirituality, that is, a spirituality of ecclesial unity in love.”

In their daily lives devoted to adoration, the contemplative nuns “radiate throughout the world the beauty of the face of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.”

“By manifesting within the Church the specific charism you received from your foundress,” he said, “you are called to be weavers of communion with the threads of prayer and work, Eucharistic adoration, and fraternal sharing within the monastery.”

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV invited the Sacramentine Nuns to live their consecration to God with renewed hope and a desire for holiness.

Remember, he urged, “that fidelity to the ancient and ever-new wisdom of the Gospel is the best path for those who, guided by the Holy Spirit, dedicate themselves to loving God and their neighbor.”

Pope Leo XIV asked for prayers today for the Venezuelan people recovering from earthquakes

 

Aftermath of earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela  (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

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• Pope Leo XIV
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• Venezuela
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Pope Leo prays for victims of Venezuela earthquake

Following the recitation of the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV turned his thoughts to Venezuela, which has been tragically struck by two powerful earthquakes that have claimed nearly 3,000 lives. The Pope also remembered the recent beatification of Vietnamese priest Francis Xavier Tru’o’ng Bǚu, who was killed out of hatred for the faith.

By Benedetta Capelli

Following the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV addressed the crowds in Spanish to express his care and closeness to Venezuelans who have been mourning the loss of their loved ones since the devastating earthqualkes that struck on June 24 . The death toll continues to rise following the two earthquakes that irreparably devastated La Guaira, the epicenter of the disaster about 40 kilometers from the capital, Caracas.

"I continue to remember in my prayers the victims of the earthquake and all the Venezuelan people. May the Lord sustain them in this time of great hardship."

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28/06/2026

Pope Leo prays for Venezuela as quake death toll rises

The country has now registered nearly 3,000 deaths from the twin earthquakes, one of the most powerful and devastating disasters in Latin America. Many displaced people are still living on the streets or in makeshift shelters under precarious conditions, while international rescue teams are gradually ending their search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble.

 

Support for the Workers of the Gospel

 

The Pope also recalled the beatification, celebrated on July 2nd at the Tac Say Shrine in Vietnam, of Father Francis Xavier Tru’o’ng Bǚu, who was killed in 1946 out of hatred for the faith. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Louis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who described the priest as "a missionary par excellence." Pope Leo XIV presented him as an example of closeness to the people.

Read also

02/07/2026

Cardinal Tagle: A martyr helps a confused world discover Jesus’ truth

"Amid oppression and violence, he defended the rights of the people and did not abandon his parishioners. May his intercession and prayers strengthen all those who proclaim the Gospel in situations of persecution today."

Finally, the Pope greeted those gathered in Saint Peter's Square. Speaking in Portuguese, he welcomed pilgrims from Brazil and the Choir of the University of Mérida in Venezuela. He also greeted several Polish groups, as well as groups of Italian faithful from Bellagio on Lake Como and from Sicily.

For Father's Day; a special prayer & blessing

 Blessing for Father's Day

God our Father, in your wisdom and love you have created us and called us your own.  Bless these Fathers, that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers.  Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.

In moments of joy, rejoice with them.

In times of struggle, give them your courage and perseverance.

Grant that we, their sons & daughters, may honor and appreciate them always with a spirit of profound respect.

May the example of St. Joseph inspire them to live their vocation with courage.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

We pray for all our fathers, that we show them reverence and love and that God bless them abundantly.  Amen.

For those who desire to be a father, that they will know God's care.  Amen.

For our fathers who have died, that God bring them into the joy of his kingdom.  Amen.

For those fathers who have lost a child through death, that their faith give them hope and peace, and family & friends support and console them.  Amen.

At today's General Audience Pope Leo XIV asks for prayers for his Apostolic Visit to Turkey & Lebanon

 

Pope Leo at the General Audience  (@Vatican Media)

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• Pope Leo XIV
• Turkey
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Pope asks for prayers ahead of visit to Türkiye and Lebanon

At the General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reflects on his upcoming Apostolic Visit to Türkiye and Lebanon, calling them two countries “rich in history and spirituality.”

By Joseph Tulloch

Wednesday’s General Audience was one of Pope Leo’s last official appointments in Rome before his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon, which begins on Thursday.

The Pope spoke of the visit, which will be his first foreign journey, at the end of the audience, describing the countries he would be travelling to as “rich in history and spirituality.”

His journey, he said, would also be an opportunity to “commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council,” which was held in Nicaea, modern-day İznik in Türkiye, and to “meet with the Catholic community, our Christian brothers and sisters, and those of other religions.”

The Pope brought his reflection to a close by asking his listeners "to accompany me with your prayers."

Read also

27/10/2025

From Nicea to the Port of Beirut: Pope Leo's schedule for Türkiye and Lebanon

First Apostolic Visit

Pope Leo will arrive in Türkiye around midday on Thursday, and will meet privately with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, before addressing Turkish authorities.

On Friday, in Nicaea, modern-day İznik, the Pope will participate in an ecumenical prayer service marking the 1,700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council.

On Saturday, he will celebrate Mass in Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena before travelling on Sunday to Lebanon. There, he will meet with groups including the local authorities, Church leaders, representatives of other religions, and young people.

On Tuesday, he will celebrate public Mass at the Beirut Waterfront before heading back to Rome, where he is scheduled to arrive at about 4:00 PM.

Read also

26/11/2025

Cardinal Parolin: Pope a 'messenger of harmony, dialogue, peace in Middle East'

'Keep going, have courage'

Speaking to Vatican News ahead of the Pope’s journey, Holy See Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said that Türkiye “was a cradle of Christianity, where the first communities arose.”

“The Council of Nicaea”, the Cardinal stressed, “laid the foundations of our faith: belief in Jesus Christ as fully divine and fully human.”

Cardinal Parolin also emphasized the importance of the Pope’s visit to Lebanon, which, he said, “has made some progress in resolving the crisis that has affected it in recent years.”

The country now has “a president, a government, and there are reforms underway,” Cardinal Parolin said. “But many difficulties, delays, and obstacles remain, which could slow or frustrate the population’s expectations.”

In this context, the Cardinal suggested, the Pope’s message would be one of “encouragement,” an invitation to "keep going, have courage, continue on the path you have begun.”