rome —
Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Wednesday for a mass that was supposed to be presided over by Pope Leo. He was replaced by another Catholic Church official, but America’s first pope was diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing a lobectomy on his right lung and recovered in hospital.
The Pope’s cancer diagnosis, confirmed on Tuesday, caused alarm throughout the Catholic world. Pope Leo was elected less than a year and a half ago at age 69, making him the youngest person elected to lead the Catholic Church since Pope John Paul II nearly 40 years ago. Given his relatively young age, there was a feeling within the Vatican and church leaders that Leo had a long pontificate ahead of him. That assumption is currently being tested.
A period of struggle over the papacy’s health had many in the Vatican hoping to be sidelined in the short term. Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, who was elected aged 76 and missing part of his right lung, suffered a series of health problems towards the end of his pontificate, spending several weeks in Gemelli Hospital with pneumonia. Francis, who had been pope since 2013, died of a stroke and heart failure in April 2025.
Pope Leo’s approach to health was steady, wise, and balanced. He takes vacation every Tuesday to attend the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome. He plays tennis, swims and, as a Cardinal, had a personal trainer.
All this made his hospitalization even more shocking. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, told reporters that “no one expected it”, comparing it to “a bolt out of the blue”. The cardinal added that he was “worried” before the cancer diagnosis was confirmed.
Pope Leo XIV has canceled all spectators until October 20 as he continues to recover. Doctors are confident the cancer was removed during surgery, but further tests are needed.
For the Pope, short-term plans are up in the air. Leo was hospitalized during a mass Vatican gathering of bishops and church leaders he convened. The discussion focused on how the church can support couples and families 10 years after a landmark document issued by Pope Francis opened the possibility for divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion.
This conference was an example of Leo trying to carry out, in his own style, the reforms begun by his predecessors. However, his surgery left him unable to participate in the closing Mass or actively participate in the gathering.
“This is very concerning and I think the recent news that it is actually cancer should be very worrying for everyone,” Archbishop Tim Costello, president of the Australian Bishops’ Conference, said after Wednesday’s Mass, just off St. Peter’s Square. The archbishop attended the gathering and said he had sent a letter to the pope on behalf of his country’s bishops pledging prayers and support.
We have been receiving questions about the upcoming papal trip. From November 6th to 17th, the Pope will be in Latin America on an intensive three-country tour of Uruguay and Argentina, and an emotional “return home” to Peru, where he served as a missionary and bishop. His packed itinerary includes 14 flights, 50 events, and visits to several of the continent’s highlands.
Archbishop Costello said recent developments “inevitably” raised questions about future visits, but stressed that Leo was “a strong man and a healthy person” and there was full hope that “he will get through this”. As of Wednesday, no changes had been announced to the travel itinerary.
Leo XIV was a meticulous and detail-oriented leader who made sure everything was in order before the surgery. Days before announcing he would undergo the surgery, the Pope approved the selection of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a Vatican official from the Philippines, to the important role of dean of the College of Cardinals. This is the role held by the fictional Cardinal Laurence, played by Ralph Fiennes, in the movie Conclave, which was released several months before the real-life papal election that chose Leo.
Tagle’s appointment, who presided over Leo at Wednesday’s Vatican Mass, took on new meaning for the hospitalized pope. As the university’s “first among equals” leaders, the dean plays an important role in presiding over conclaves (must be under 80 years old) and pre-conclave meetings. Future papal elections are considered far in the future. But the appointment of the charismatic 69-year-old Tagle, who had previously been seen as a likely candidate for the pope, was an important internal matter.
Leo’s cancer diagnosis was met with an outpouring of public support. It provides an opportunity for him to connect with many other individuals and families suffering from this disease.
“Pope Leo has shown compassion and solidarity with many people who face conflicts and challenges in their lives,” Father Leo said. Joseph Farrell, leader of the Augustinian Order and a friend of the pope, told CNN. “As Augustinians, we call on all people to show an equally loving and prayerful solidarity with the Holy Father.” Leo is a member of the Augustinians and a former leader of the order.
There is a history of cancer in the pope’s family, with his eldest brother, Louis Prévost, first diagnosed in 2017 and currently undergoing treatment. Pope’s mother Mildred died of cancer in 1990. Her father, Louis, also died in 1997 of colon cancer and heart disease.
While there are concerns within the Vatican about his health, the wheels of the church’s central administration will continue to turn. “It’s not like you’re going to pull your hair out and run around,” one official told CNN. “We are working within the Curia (a Vatican ministry) to support the Pope’s ministry,” and the Pope can govern the Church even from his hospital bed.
People who know the pope say he is eager to get back on his feet. Elise Allen, who interviewed the pope in July 2025 for her book on Leo XIV, described the situation as a “waiting game” but said it was important not to jump to conclusions. “He’s a very hard worker, very determined, and I think he wants to get back on track as soon as possible,” she told CNN.
But Allen said the hospitalization could “curtail” some of his appointments and commitments. She also noted that his last major health crisis, when he was a young missionary sent to Peru, was decisive. Shortly after arriving in this country in 1985, Leo was struck by typhoid fever. Allen said this was a turning point, as after his recovery he accepted a job in South America.
Popes John Paul II and Francis have both shown how the role of the pope involves an element of national suffering. Also, recent conclaves have selected men in their late 60s and 70s, so it’s not as if health issues are looming on the horizon. “Vulnerability deserves special attention,” Pope Leo XIV said in a speech at the Family Life Assembly last week. “Family experience has something to teach everyone, because vulnerability belongs to our common human condition and therefore also to the life of the Church.”
The Pope now faces the same vulnerabilities and insecurities faced by many others with similar diagnoses.
