<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV and Archbishop Thomas Wenski shake hands during a meeting on Oct. 5, 2026, days before the pope underwent lung surgery.<\/p>\n
Simone Risoluti<\/p>\n
Courtesy of the Archdiocese of Miami<\/p>\n
Miami\u2019s top Catholic leader is calling on the faithful to pray for Pope Leo XIV after he was diagnosed with lung cancer on Tuesday following a surgical procedure on his lungs.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur prayers are with Pope Leo XIV as he recovers from his recent surgery,\u201d said Archbishop Thomas Wenski on Tuesday night. \u201cI invite all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Miami and all people of good will to unite in prayer for Pope Leo, and for all those who struggle with life-threatening illnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pope\u2019s surgery, performed at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, successfully removed the lower part of the Pope\u2019s right lung. But the lung tissue examined by the Pope\u2019s doctors during the operation confirmed the previously suspected diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma<\/a>, a common type of lung diagnosis.<\/p>\n The Pope has been recovering since Wednesday morning and has been eating and walking around his hospital room \u2014 all good signs of a normal recovery, according to Vatican News.<\/p>\n The cancer diagnosis, though caught at an early stage, raises questions about the stability and future of the Holy Father\u2019s agenda. Pope Leo, 71, is just about a year and half into his papacy and this diagnosis is the first publicly disclosed major health problem.<\/p>\n Experts say more information is needed to determine if the disease has spread yet and what kind of treatment is needed moving forward. Pope Leo has cleared his appearances through October 20 as he remains in the hospital, but still plans to travel to South America next month, including to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, according to remarks the Pope made on Sunday.<\/p>\n In Miami, Wenski said he met with the Pope earlier this month, and did not know at the time that he would be having surgery \u2014 though he told Pope Leo \u201cthat the faithful of Miami pray for him daily.\u201d<\/p>\n The 71-year-old American Pope is still relatively young for a pope and remains physically active with weekly tennis matches and riding horses at Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat, according to reporting from NPR.<\/p>\n The Pope does, however, have a family history of cancer. Pope Leo\u2019s older brother, who lives in Florida, Louis Prevost, has multiple myeloma, according to CBS News. Prevost\u2019s wife, Deborah Prevost, told CBS that he\u2019s currently in a clinical trial at a local hospital where he\u2019s being treated, but did not share the stage of the cancer, just that he was first diagnosed in 2017.<\/p>\n The transparent way in which the Pope announced his lung surgery was considered a break in a tradition of secrecy surrounding the Pope\u2019s health issues.<\/p>\n Pope Leo revealed the discovery of the growth on his lung during his Sunday noon prayer \u2014 which was broadcast to the world on live television \u2014 almost as an aside toward the end of his blessing<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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