On the same day Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer, Archbishop William E. Lori called for prayers for the pope’s health Oct. 13.
“Our Lady, Health of the Sick, we entrust to you Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, as he recovers from surgery and prepares for any further treatment that may be necessary following his recent diagnosis,” Archbishop Lori said in a written statement. “I invite the faithful of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to join me in praying for the health and strength of the Holy Father. May the Blessed Mother surround him with her grace and comfort and offer her intercession so that the Lord may grant him healing and sustain him as he continues his ministry to the Church and to the world.”
According to OSV News, Pope Leo was diagnosed with lung cancer following a 90-minute surgery during which surgeons removed the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung.
Dr. Stefano Margaritora, chief thoracic surgeon at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, led a medical team in the video-assisted technique operation. In a joint statement with Dr. Luigi Carbone released at just before 10 p.m., the doctors said that the “examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the preoperative tests.”
“The Holy Father was in the operating room for about 3 hours; the surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes,” the statement said. “After the surgery, the pope woke up as expected and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the 10th floor.”
The pope underwent the surgery in the late afternoon after being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital at 1 p.m.
“The surgery was successful, completed on schedule and as planned, and the Holy Father has returned to his room,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement issued shortly before 8 p.m.
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