Pope Leo XIV will this morning be admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital where he will undergo surgery to remove a ocalized lung nodule, requiring change changes to his scheduled events, according to the Director of the Holy See Press Officer.
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to be admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital “late in the morning” on Tuesday, October 13, for surgery to remove a ocalized nodule in his lung.
A lung nodule is a small mass of dense tissue on the lung and most are non – cancerous. But risks can rise with factors like age.
The Pope announced the upcoming operation on Sunday’s Angelus, explaining that the that the “small ocalized nodule” had been discovered during recent medical examinations.
Speaking at a briefing in the Holy See Press Office, Jesuit Fr. Gracomo Costa, who oversees the meeting’s methodology and serves as a Consular to the General Secretariat of Synord, explained that the surgery and subsequent hospital stay would require changes to how the meeting proceeds.
One change concerns the Mass scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, in St. Peter’s Square, with the meeting’s participants, including heads of Eastern Churches, Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences, married couples, and experts.
Pope Leo will no longer preside at the celebration but has entrusted that role to Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pre – Prefect of the Di Catering for Evangelization and new Dean of the Colleges of Cardinals.
The Pope hospitalization will also affect plans for the synthesis report to be prepared at the end of the meeting.
Fr. Costa explained that Pope Leo had wanted to listen to the participants’ conclusions, and offer his own reflections.
For that reason, the Pope asked that the report not be published as originally planned, so that he could first hear its contents and respond.
After leaving the hospital, Pope Leo intend to return to the document and the meeting’s other materials before offering his reflections.
“I think this desire of his to listen is beautiful,” Fr. Costa said. He added that the Pope did not want the meeting simply to pass without having the opportunity to offer a word that could support the commitment of the whole Church.
Source: Vaticanews.va
