The Archdiocese of Los Angeles was encouraging Catholics to pray for Pope Leo XIV Wednesday following the Vatican’s announcement that the pontiff has lung cancer and underwent surgery in Rome to remove part of his right lung.
Archbishop José H. Gomez urged Catholics to pray for the 71-year-old pope’s recovery and participate in prayers and acts of service.
“Friends, we continue to pray for the Holy Father’s full and swift recovery,” Gomez said. “I invite you to join me in offering a spiritual bouquet for Pope Leo XIV as he recovers.”
The archbishop encouraged Catholics to pray the Rosary, spend time in Eucharistic Adoration, pray the Stations of the Cross, offer a Divine Mercy Chaplet or perform an act of service.
“Every offering is a loving expression of our closeness to the Holy Father,” Gomez wrote.
He invited Catholics to submit their prayers and commitments at lacatholics.org/praying-for-pope-leo/, where the archdiocese is collecting a spiritual bouquet for the pontiff.
“May Our Lady of Guadalupe hold Pope Leo close in the mantle of her love,” Gomez wrote.
The Vatican announced Tuesday that surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital confirmed that Leo has pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer.
Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung using a video-assisted technique during an operation that lasted about 90 minutes. The Vatican said the pope spent approximately three hours in the operating room.
The surgery was successful, with no complications, and the pope regained consciousness normally before returning to his hospital room, according to the Vatican.
The Vatican did not disclose the stage of the cancer or whether it had spread.
The archdiocese’s webpage includes a prayer for the pope’s recovery and a message he delivered Sunday, when he announced that doctors had discovered a small nodule in his lung.
“I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers,” Leo said.
The prayer posted by the archdiocese asks the Virgin Mary to intercede for the pontiff.
“Intercede for Pope Leo, that he may be restored to health or granted the spiritual grace necessary to endure this affliction for the love of Christ,” the prayer states.
Leo, the first American pope, entered Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday after doctors recommended removing the lung nodule discovered during medical testing.
The Vatican canceled his scheduled audiences through Oct. 20. It was unclear whether his planned trip to South America, scheduled to begin Nov. 6, would proceed.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange issued a statement saying it “joins Catholics around the world in praying for our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, as he recovers from surgery and receives treatment following his lung cancer diagnosis. We are grateful for the skill and care of his medical team, and for the positive news that the operation went well.
“We ask all our faithful as well as all people of good will to remember our Holy Father, along with those who care for him, in their prayers.
“May the Lord grant him strength, healing and peace. Amen.”