KRAKOW, Poland (OSV News) — As Pope Leo XIV entered the hospital Oct. 13 for surgery, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, longtime secretary to St. John Paul II, offered prayers through the intercession of the Polish pope and Our Lady of Fatima.
The operation coincides with the anniversary of the “miracle of the sun” in Fatima, a supernatural event tied to the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima and occurring in response to a prophecy made by three shepherd children, Lucia dos Santos and Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The prophecy was that the Virgin Mary would appear and perform miracles on that date.
Pope John Paul II credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life after the 1981 assassination attempt, which occurred on May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.
Writing to Pope Leo Oct. 11, Cardinal Dziwisz said, “The news that reached us has shaken us.”
“Your temporary indisposition all the more puts us closer to you,” he said, assuring the pope of his prayers through the intercession of St. John Paul II.
Pope Leo was admitted Oct. 13 to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule in the afternoon.
Speaking to OSV News, Cardinal Dziwisz said he hopes the hospitalization is “only temporary, a precautionary measure to prevent the illness from progressing.”
“That is what we are praying for. I entrust this matter to God through St. John Paul II, because I know from experience how many people have received graces through his intercession,” said the cardinal, St. John Paul II’s personal secretary for four decades.
Cardinal Dziwisz said that after what “we’ve seen in Spain” and during the papal trip to France, he was surprised to learn about the pope’s health condition, but that he was reassured to hear “the powerful message from the Holy Father” announcing his sickness transparently.
“He had the courage — much like John Paul II once did — to tell people: ‘I have a health issue; I need to step back and undergo treatment.'”
— Connections to Pope John Paul II —
On July 12, 1992, St. John Paul II told pilgrims: “I would now like to share something personal with you,” and announced that he would be visiting Gemelli “for some diagnostic tests,” which resulted in him undergoing surgery to remove a large tumor from his colon.
In the spring of 1994, after the pontiff underwent hip replacement and reconstructive surgery to repair his right hip joint that followed fracturing of his right femur in a fall, Pope John Paul II reflected on his health during the May 29, 1994, Angelus prayer.
“I would like to express, through Mary, my gratitude today for this gift of suffering — once again linked to the Marian month of May. I wish to give thanks for this gift. I have come to understand that it is a necessary gift,” Pope John Paul said.
“The pope had to be at the Gemelli Polyclinic; he had to be absent from this window for four weeks — four Sundays,” he continued. “He had to suffer — just as he had to suffer 13 years ago, so too this year,” a reference to the assassination attempt.
In 1994, the Church observed the Year of the Family. Reflecting on his suffering, John Paul went on to say: “Why now? Why this year? Why during this Year of the Family?” — and immediately answered: “Precisely because the family is under threat; the family is under attack. The pope must be attacked; the pope must suffer, so that every family and the world may see that there is a Gospel … through which the future must be prepared: the third millennium of families — of every family and of all families.”
While St. John Paul II underwent surgery in the Church’s Year of Family, Pope Leo’s operation coincides with the final days of the Vatican meeting of the world’s bishops’ conference presidents and the heads of Eastern Catholic Churches on families, marking the 10th anniversary of “Amoris Laetitia.”
— Prayers from Fatima —
As the pope prepared for surgery, pilgrims from around the world were in Fatima to commemorate the 109th anniversary of Mary’s final apparition and pray for Pope Leo XIV’s health.
According to a statement from the Shrine of Fatima, an estimated 130,000 pilgrims gathered Oct. 12 for an evening liturgy. During the universal prayer, the shrine said the pilgrims prayed that “the Immaculate Heart of Mary may be the model of the holy Church and intercede for Pope Leo XIV, so that, through the love and power of Christ, he may find relief and health.”
Shortly after the pope’s surprise announcement of the surgery during his Sunday Angelus address Oct. 11, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, the shrine’s rector, announced that the special prayer would be recited during the pilgrimage celebrations.
Noting that the shrine normally prays for the pope, Father Cabecinhas explained that “the current situation justifies making this intention explicit.”
“We will invite pilgrims to pray specifically for the pope and for his health, for his speedy recovery,” he said.
While news of the surgery may be concerning, Catholics have also received it with confidence and serenity because “we also trust in the power of prayer,” Father Cabecinhas said.
— The miracle of the sun —
The Oct. 12-13 International Anniversary Pilgrimage marks the last pilgrimage of the year at the site where Mary appeared to the three shepherd children. The apparitions began May 13, 1917, when the children reported seeing the Virgin Mary, and continued once a month until Oct. 13, 1917.
On the day of the final apparition, despite heavy rainfall, tens of thousands of people went to the apparition site, known as Cova da Iria, to witness the long-awaited miracle the children said Mary had promised.
After Mary identified herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary” and asked people to stop offending God, she opened her hands, reflecting light toward the sun. After Lucia told the crowds to look up, the sun appeared to “dance,” spinning and changing colors.
However, panic ensued when the sun seemed to hurtle toward the earth, but it returned to its place. Thirteen years later, the bishop of Leiria deemed the apparitions worthy of belief.
— Hope that Pope Leo would visit Fatima —
Francisco died from influenza April 4, 1919, at age 10, while Jacinta also succumbed to illness Feb. 20, 1920, at age 9.
Pope Francis canonized the two young children during his 2017 visit to Fatima, making them the Catholic Church’s youngest non-martyred saints. Pope Francis declared their cousin, Sister Lucia, who died in 2005 at the age of 97, “venerable” in 2023.
Father Cabecinhas expressed his hope that Pope Leo would visit Fatima in 2027 to mark the 110th anniversary of the apparitions.
“I remain confident that it will be possible to nurture this hope of the pope’s visit next year,” he said.
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