CBCP: Pray for Pope Leo’s lung surgery, full recovery
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has called on Filipino Catholics to unite in prayer for Pope Leo XIV as he prepares to undergo lung surgery.
In an appeal issued on Monday, CBCP president and Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera also urged bishops and priests to offer Masses for the Pope’s successful operation and full recovery.
“Let us pray that the Lord may guide his surgeons and all who care for him, sustain him with strength and peace, and restore him to health as he continues to shepherd the universal Church,” Garcera said.
The archbishop told the faithful to entrust the Pope to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for Pope Leo XIV,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday announced he would have an operation “in the coming days” for a lump on his lung.
“During some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized,” the 71-year-old Pontiff said in a weekly address in St. Peter’s Square.
“The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it. The operation is already planned in the coming days,” he said.
“I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers,” the Pope added.
Responding to journalists’ questions, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said “the operation is scheduled for the first days of this week and the estimated post-operative recovery time will be about one week.”
The operation will take place in the Gemelli hospital in Rome, which has frequently treated popes since John Paul II.
‘Divine physician’
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops posted a statement from its president, Archbishop Paul Coakley, saying, “The bishops of the United States join with the faithful and all people of good will in praying for (Pope Leo’s) good health.”
“May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician Jesus Christ,” Coakley added.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, also invited the faithful to join him in praying for the Pope’s swift and complete recovery.
Argentina’s bishops’ conference urged Catholics to join in a special prayer for Leo, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wished him a “successful surgery and a swift, full recovery” in a post on X.
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois, Pope Leo XIV is the first American-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church. He was elected leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8, 2025, and has gradually imprinted his style on the leadership of the Church by finding his voice on some of the world’s most pressing issues, from bloody conflicts to artificial intelligence.
No information has been given as to whether the surgery and recovery would affect the Pope’s agenda for international trips. He is next due to go to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru between Nov. 6 and 17. —WITH A REPORT FROM AFP
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