Cardinal Tobin of New Jersey undergoing surgery to remove a mass located in his kidney. Prayers for complete healing!

 

Cardinal Tobin of Newark, NJ, to undergo surgery for mass on his kidney

written by OSV News 

October 28, 2026

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, N.J., is pictured in this 2016 photo. The Archdiocese of Newark announced Oct. 28, 2026, that Cardinal Tobin has been found to have a kidney mass and is scheduled to undergo surgery on Oct. 29 to remove it. (OSV News photo/courtesy Archdiocese of Newark)

NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark has been found to have a kidney mass and is scheduled to undergo surgery on Oct. 29 to remove it, according to an archdiocesan announcement.

“Testing to date indicates that the mass appears confined to the kidney, and his doctors are optimistic about his outlook,” the archdiocese said Oct. 28. “Examination of the mass following surgery will determine its nature and help guide any further treatment.”

“I am deeply grateful to the skilled and compassionate medical professionals who are guiding my care and preparing my treatment plan,” Cardinal Tobin said in a statement. “Above all, I place my complete trust in Christ our Redeemer, whose loving presence sustains me in all things. I humbly ask for your prayers and support during this time. God willing, I look forward to resuming my full duties within a few weeks after surgery.”

In its announcement, the archdiocese said it appreciated the faithful’s “understanding and respect for Cardinal Tobin’s privacy during this time.”

“We kindly ask that you refrain from contacting Cardinal Tobin, his family or Archdiocesan staff for interviews or information. Thank you for your consideration and continued prayers,” it said.

Ministry of Cardinal Tobin 

A native of Detroit and a member of the Redemptorist congregation, the cardinal has served as the sixth archbishop of Newark since his installation on Jan. 6, 2017. Prior to that he served as the sixth archbishop of Indianapolis, from 2012 until Pope Francis named him Newark’s archbishop on Nov. 7, 2016. Pope Francis made then-Archbishop Tobin a cardinal on Nov. 19, 2016.

Over the years, Cardinal Tobin has served on several Vatican bodies. In August 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him secretary to what is now called the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Pope Francis named him to the Dicastery for Bishops, the Synod of Bishops as well as the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Pontifical Council for Culture — which were merged in June 2022 to become the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

The Archdiocese of Newark spans four counties in northern New Jersey: Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union. It is one of the smallest archdioceses in the United States by geographic area, but one of the largest by Catholic population: It has about 1.3 million Catholics out of a total population of over 3.1 million.

OSV News staff wrote this report.

Editor’s note: The Archdiocese of Newark said messages of support and well wishes for the cardinal may be mailed to: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archdiocese of Newark, c/o Office of Communications, 171 Clifton Ave., Newark, NJ 07104.

On advice of doctors, Pope Leo XIV to miss visit to Assisi on Oct. 27th

 

Pope Leo XIV made a pastoral visit to Assisi on August 6, 2026, celebrating Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels (VATICAN MEDIA)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• pastoral visit
• Italy
• press office
• medicine & health

Pope Leo will not make Assisi visit to aid recovery after surgery

Pope Leo XIV will not make his scheduled visit to Assisi on October 27 upon the advice of his doctors, who confirm that his recovery is going very well following his recent thoracic surgery.

Vatican News

The Holy See Press Office announced on Friday that Pope Leo XIV will not be able to attend the “Unarmed and Disarming Peace” meeting in Assisi on October 27.

“To aid his recovery following the thoracic surgery he underwent on Tuesday of last week, Pope Leo XIV will be unable to attend the ‘Unarmed and Disarming Peace’ meeting in Assisi on October 27, as planned,” read the statement. “The meeting marks the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by Saint John Paul II.”

According to the Holy See Press Office, the Pope will send a message expressing his closeness to the “organizers, the leaders and representatives of Christian denominations and other religions, and the guests attending”.

The statement assured everyone that the Holy Father remains convinced “that the ‘Spirit of Assisi’ dialogue and the search for words and gestures of peace are valuable resources in an age of conflict.”

At the same time, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora said the Holy Father underwent a scheduled follow-up chest X-ray, which confirmed that his “postoperative recovery is progressing very well.”

“The Holy Father underwent a follow-up chest X-ray as scheduled. The examination confirmed that his postoperative recovery is progressing very well. However, given the short time that has elapsed since the surgery, his doctors advised against the planned helicopter journey on October 27 as a precaution,” they noted in the statement released on Friday by the Holy See Press Office.

The announcement follows Pope Leo XIV’s surgery on October 13 which removed the lower lobe of his right lung.

The Pope’s doctors said on Wednesday that the surgery removed all of the malignant lung adenocarcinoma and that subsequent tests confirmed that “no further treatment is necessary.”

‘Unarmed and Disarming Peace’

The Assisi peace meeting was organized by the St. Egidio Community and will take place from October 25 to 27.

It marks the 40th anniversary of the historic World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by Pope St. John Paul II in 1986.

The St. Egidio Community has since carried forward the “Spirit of Assisi” through annual interreligious meetings across Europe and beyond.

This year’s event, entitled “Unarmed and Disarming Peace,” is expected to bring together 384 representatives of religions, cultures, and institutions from 53 countries.

Its 24 thematic forums will address issues including conflict, disarmament, migration, poverty, young people, and the role of religions in building peace.

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)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• Angelus
• medicine & health
• prayer

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!”

Read also

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.

Child cancer patients send prayers and letters to Pope Leo XIV

 

Artwork sent to Pope Leo XIV by child oncology patients at Rome's Gemelli Hospital 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• medicine & health
• children
• prayer
• faith

'Faith moves mountains' - Child cancer patients write to Pope Leo

As Pope Leo XIV recovers from his lung operation at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, child cancer patients at the hospital's pediatric oncology ward have reassured him of their prayers, reiterating that "faith moves mountains."

By Deborah Castellano Lubov and Benedetta Capelli

As Pope Leo XIV recovers at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital following his successful lung surgery on Tuesday, children in the hospital’s oncology ward sent him letters and drawings.

The Holy See Press Office released images of their messages and artwork on Friday, in which they offer the Holy Father words of encouragement and sharing their own experiences of illness and hope.

‘My mom and I pray for you every evening’

Angelo, seven, had been hospitalized for 36 days.

In his letter, he explained that he came from Taurisano, in the province of Lecce, and, like the Pope, was staying on the hospital’s tenth floor, after having undergone his own operation, head surgery.

“My mom and I pray for you every evening,” he wrote. “I wish you a speedy recovery.”

He also sent the Pope a drawing of a tree whose leaves were beginning to fall, a meadow, and many birds flying through the sky beneath a large, bright sun.

‘Faith moves mountains’

Eleonora, who came from an Italian-Chilean family, had been receiving treatment in the Neurosurgery and Oncology Department of the children’s hospital.

Her mother, Maria Graziela, explained in their family's letter written in Spanish that the little girl was now healthy and reflected on their experience of faith.

“Faith moves mountains,” she wrote.

“God has heard our prayers,” she added, thanks to the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi, Our Lady of Fatima, and the Archangel Raphael.

In the letter, she also entrusted the Bishop of Rome to their care, asking God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, together with the guardian angels, to protect him.

“Pope Leo, our prayers are for you,” they reassured, praying, “May God, the Most Holy Virgin, and the guardian angels always protect you.”

‘Better days will come. We are united in prayer’

Giorgia, 18, wrote to the Holy Father in English, explaining how her world had been turned upside down and how she had had to put her dreams on hold to focus on her health.

Yet, through this experience, she had discovered gratitude for being cared for and having the opportunity to recover.

She reflected on how illness had changed her, both for better and for worse, and how things she had once taken for granted had acquired a new value.

“I believe what they say is true, that you can find something good in everything,” she wrote.

She told Pope Leo that, “When I heard on the news about you and your situation, I felt it a thousand times harder, because in some ways we are going through the same thing, and it made me feel closer to you.”

Finally, Giorgia said she was praying to God that they might both recover and asked the Pope to pray with her.

“Better days will come for the both of us. I'm sure of that,” she wrote. “We are united in prayer for us and for those facing the same situation."

Pope Leo XIV recovery continues; he actually celebrated Mass today for hospital staff

 

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for Gemelli medical staff on his fourth day in hospital 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• medicine & health

Pope continues 'steady improvement,' celebrates Mass for Gemelli staff

On his fourth day in hospital, Pope Leo XIV's doctors say new blood tests and a chest X-ray confirm "the steady improvement in his overall condition," and the Pope celebrates Mass for several members of the Gemelli Hospital medical staff.

Vatican News

On Friday afternoon, the Holy See Press Office released a statement from Pope Leo XIV's doctors, who said his postoperative recovery continues with steady improvement.

Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora said the Pope "underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray this morning, which confirmed the steady improvement in his overall condition."

They added that "respiratory physiotherapy sessions have continued," noting that his "postoperative recovery allows him to carry out normal daily activities entirely independently."

The Holy See Press Office said separately that Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at noon in the room set up on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital, noting that he distributed Communion.

Several members of Gemelli's medical and nursing staff attended the Mass, along with members of the Vatican City State Gendarmerie Corps.

"In his homily, the Pope thanked all the staff—doctors, nurses, and orderlies—for the work they do every day caring for patients in their frailty, and especially for what they have done and continue to do for him," read a statement.

The Holy See Press Office said the Sunday noon-day Angelus, normally led by the Pope, "will take place."

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for Gemelli staff on Friday

Catholic School students in Chicago prepare care packages for native-born Pope Leo XIV

 

Members of 'Team 14' meet with Pope Leo in Rome in November 2025 (VATICAN MEDIA)

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• Pope Leo XIV
• United States
• school & university
• medicine & health

Chicago school students prepare care package for Pope Leo XIV

As Pope Leo XIV recovers from lung surgery in hospital, a group of students from his hometown of Chicago are sending him get-well cards and Chicago White Sox blanket.

Vatican News

Students from a Catholic school in Pope Leo XIV’s hometown of Chicago are preparing a "care package" for him as he recovers in hospital following lung surgery.

Local media outlets reported on Wednesday that students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy were planning to send the Pope items including get-well cards and a Chicago White Sox blanket.

The students are part of Team 14, a group of some 40 students named after Pope Leo XIV. They went viral on social media after staging a mock conclave last year, and some of them subsequently travelled to Rome to meet the Pope.

They have also been organizing monthly prayer and service meetings, including food drives to help the less fortunate.

"It feels nice to wish [the Pope] well because he's like a close friend and I was really sad when I heard when he was sick," one 6th-grade student said, according to ABC7 Chicago.

"I was a little nervous for Pope Leo because I've met him and he has a big role and I want him to stay healthy," an 8th-grade student added.

Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday, during which doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung. 

The Holy See Press Office said in a statement on Wednesday that the Pope had undergone scheduled blood tests and chest X-ray, which confirmed that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally.

Thursday update on Pope Leo XIV as his recovery continues

 

Outside Rome's Gemelli hospital (ANSA)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• press office
• medicine & health

Pope Leo has good second night at Rome's Gemelli hospital

The Holy See Press Office says Pope Leo XIV had a good second night in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, and got up and had breakfast, in their latest update since he underwent a successful lung operation on Tuesday.

Vatican News

"The Pope had a good night in the hospital, got up and had breakfast," the Holy See Press Office said on Thursday morning, two days after Pope Leo underwent a successful lung operation with no complications.

Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, during which doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, as explained in a statement released by the Holy See Press Office the same evening.

Tissue examined during the operation confirmed the diagnosis of "lung adenocarcinoma," suspected from tests conducted beforehand.

The Pope was in the operating room for approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes and that the procedure went as planned.

Since the surgery took place, no changes have been communicated regarding the previously announced hospitalization time of one week.

Recovery progressing well, Pope concelebrated Mass

The Holy See Press Office released a statement on the afternoon of October 14 from Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, the chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Gemelli Hospital, who performed the operation along with the medical team, regarding Pope Leo XIV's postoperative recovery.

"This morning," they stated, "the Holy Father underwent the blood tests and chest X-ray scheduled after surgery. The results confirm that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally: the values are within the expected range for the type of operation performed," said the statement.

"The Holy Father has undergone respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking around his room. He has resumed eating normally and had breakfast and lunch," they added. "His recovery is proceeding as expected."

Later, Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, told journalists that the Pope concelebrated Mass on Wednesday afternoon in a room specially prepared for the purpose on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital.

Breaking news: Pope Leo XIV surgery complete and reported successful

 

(ANSA)

Pope

Pope Leo XIV undergoes successful lung surgery

Pope Leo XIV’s surgery to remove a “small, localized nodule” from his lung was successful and he has returned to his room at the Gemelli Hospital, according to the Holy See Press Office.

Vatican News

“The surgery was completed successfully, within the expected timeframe and as planned, and the Holy Father has returned to his room. Further information will follow.”

The Holy See Press Office issued the statement on Tuesday evening, 13 October, following Pope Leo XIV’s surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

Cardinal Parolin gives update on Pope Leo as he prepares for surgery

 

Cardinal Parolin speaks with reporters outside the Pontifical Gregorian University 

Vatican

• Pietro Parolin
• Vatican
• Pope Leo XIV
• medicine & health

Cardinal Parolin: 'I spoke with Pope Leo, who is an example of great serenity'

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin shares with journalists his hope for the Pope's quick recovery from surgery, saying everyone is accompanying Pope Leo with prayer and affection.

Vatican News

On the morning before Pope Leo XIV would be admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for surgery to remove a “lung nodule confined to a limited area,” the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, expressed his closeness to the Pope, and praised the Holy Father's serenity.

He spoke to journalists asking about Pope Leo's health on the sidelines of a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University entitled “John Paul I: Iustitia et Pax: ‘Safeguarding and Promoting Peace in This Troubled World’,” organized by the Vatican John Paul I Foundation, of which the Cardinal is president.

“We were all struck by his serenity,” the Cardinal said, referring to the composure with which the Pope conveyed the announcement about the upcoming surgery at his Sunday Angelus.

“We hope, as he said, that we are right at the beginning of this difficulty and that the problem can therefore be resolved as soon as possible. We are confident,” he said. “Naturally, we are all accompanying him with our prayers and affection.”

Great serenity

The Vatican Secretary of State explained that he had spoken with Pope Leo on Monday afternoon.

“We spoke very calmly. The Holy Father truly is a great example in this regard,” he said.

“I am concerned,” Cardinal Parolin acknowledged, “because I certainly did not expect something like this to happen.” However, he noted that it was a condition “which, thank God, was detected immediately” and which could therefore be addressed “as soon as possible.”

“Normally, when these things are caught in time, they can be resolved,” he added.

God’s surprises

The Cardinal also reflected on the great outpouring of affection from people around the world for the Pope.

“This shows how much Pope Leo is loved, appreciated and followed by everyone,” he said, encouraging people to continue expressing their closeness to the Pope as he undergoes the procedure.

“Was it a bolt from the blue?” a journalist asked.

“Yes, certainly,” Cardinal Parolin replied, “because no one expected it. But these are, as the Pope said, God’s surprises.”

Cardinal Kikuchi's closeness

On Monday, Cardinal Isao Kikuchi, Archbishop of Tokyo, posted on Facebook following his private meeting with the Holy Father.

He explained that at 9:30 A.M. he was granted an audience with Holy Father together with the Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis. The Cardinal said he had a private conversation with the Holy Father before the audience with the two of them.

"Though he assured me that this is a minor operation, and he feels nothing wrong with his body, and he said he had decided to go for the operation as soon as possible not to change his plan of Latin America visit." Cardinal Kikuchi concluded. "We have to keep Holy Father in our prayers."