Concerns rise over announcement of the Pope's health
On the eleventh of October, Pope Leo XIV announced at the Angelus that doctors had found a nodule in his right lung during a routine medical checkup. He claims that it was ‘detected at an early stage’ and ‘well localised.’ On the advice of his doctors, he decided to undergo surgery to remove the nodule from the lung. After this announcement, Catholics all over the world started to pray for a safe surgery and full and easy recovery, as well as for the medical staff working on his surgery.
The president of the US Bishops Conference, Archbishop Paul Coakley, posted on X: ‘May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician Jesus Christ.’Additionally, TikTok content creators have created videos encouraging others to pray for the Holy Father. The Secretary of the Vatican State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, spoke to journalists outside of a convention on the 12th of October, where he admitted that the cardinals were ‘struck by his serenity’ as he announced his illness.
On the 13th of October, the Pontiff was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where the surgery took place. While there, the Pope’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, led a Rosary in the hospital's chapel at six o’clock. Vatican News said that as he entered the hospital, the Pope greeted patients and staff. They added that those waiting applauded as he shook hands with doctors. Professor Stefano Margaritora and the thoracic surgery team led the surgery, and he was expected to remain there for four days.
Not long after, the Holy See Press Office released a statement from Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora that announced, ‘The surgery was within the expected timeframe and as planned, and the Holy Father has returned to his room.’ In order to ensure a ‘radical resection, the lower lobe of his right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique.’ The suspected diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma was confirmed. Lung adenocarcinoma is one of the most common types of lung cancer in the world; it is classed as a non-small-cell lung cancer, which makes up around 85% of lung cancer cases. Furthermore, it was said that the Holy Father was in the operating room for around three hours, and the operation lasted around ninety minutes. It was ‘successful, and there were no complications.’ The Pope awoke normally after surgery and, after a brief period of observation, was sent back to his room on the tenth floor of the hospital.
The following day, another statement written by Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora was released by the Holy See Press Office. It stated that the Pope ‘underwent the blood tests and chest X-ray scheduled after surgery’ and the ‘results confirm that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally: the values are within the expected range for the type of operation performed.’ He has ‘undergone respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking around his room. He has resumed eating normally and had breakfast and lunch. His recovery is proceeding as expected.’
The remaining statements are short but sweet. On the 15th, the patient ‘had a good night in the hospital, got up, and had breakfast.’ The following day they reported that he ‘underwent routine checks which yielded normal results.’ He ‘carried out his daily activities independently’ and ‘overall, his postoperative recovery is progressing normally.’ On his second-to-last day, he once again ‘underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray this morning, which confirmed the steady improvement in his overall condition.’ On his final day, his tests and X-rays taken had deemed him ‘fit for discharge.’ The Holy See Press Office announced that he would return to the Vatican that Saturday, in time to pray the Angelus on Sunday, one week from his announcement of his illness.