On 13 October 2026, Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after a diagnosis of lung cancer. The procedure took place while he was 71 years old. Three days later, on 16 October, the Vatican released the first images of the pope since the operation, showing him celebrating Mass in a makeshift chapel set up inside the hospital. That same day, from his hospital room, Leo placed a telephone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation centred on the humanitarian crisis in Oleshky, a city in Ukraine's Kherson region that is under Russian control.
During the call, the pope expressed deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in Oleshky. According to the Vatican, no food deliveries have been allowed into the city since May, leaving residents without electricity, gas or running water. The local hospital is described as barely functional. Leo urged Putin to agree to a ceasefire that would permit the delivery of food and medical assistance and enable the voluntary, safe evacuation of civilians. He also reaffirmed the Holy See's commitment to promoting dialogue and peace as a path forward.
Pope Leo XIV gave strong indications he was recovering well from lung cancer surgery and in charge of running the Catholic Church, speaking on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and celebrating Mass in a makeshift hospital chapel. https://t.co/TNiYeq3ROu
The Vatican's statement quoted the pope as saying he had expressed his deep concern about the situation in Oleshky and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population. The Kremlin, for its part, blamed Ukraine for the crisis in Oleshky, with Putin giving the pope a detailed explanation of the Kyiv regime's responsibility for the difficult humanitarian situation there. At the same time, Putin voiced support for the Vatican's intention to help create conditions ensuring the safety of the local population and facilitating the delivery of essential supplies.
He also reaffirmed the Holy See's commitment to promoting dialogue and peace as a path forward.
Medical updates from the pope's doctors, Dr Luigi Carbone and Dr Stefano Margaritora, indicated that his post-operative recovery allowed him to carry out his normal daily activities completely on his own. They described his condition as showing continued improvement and said he could manage independently. The Vatican noted that Leo was expected to deliver his traditional Angelus prayer service on the Sunday following the call and to proceed with a previously planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Has the modern papacy become too physically demanding? I think Pope Leo's illness raises a question we ought to be asking about what we actually expect from the Successor of Peter. Thankfully, the news from Rome is encouraging. Pope Leo is recovering well following his surgery, and we should continue to pray for his complete recovery. But I was struck by the fact that, in less than a month's time, he is scheduled to undertake an enormous journey through South America, visiting ten cities across Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, with around 50 engagements and 36 speeches planned over twelve days. That's a pretty punishing schedule for anyone, let alone a man recovering from major surgery. I'm in my fifties and the Pope's schedule makes me wince! Of course, the journey may yet be changed or postponed, and his doctors will have their say. But it made me wonder whether we have gradually come to expect something rather unreasonable from our popes. For most of the Church's history, the Pope didn't spend his life travelling around the world. That changed with Paul VI, who recognised the extraordinary opportunities that modern air travel offered, and particularly with St John Paul II, whose international journeys became such an important part of his pontificate, and what a remarkable legacy that was. Think of John Paul II's visit to Poland in 1979, or the millions who gathered to see him across Africa, Asia and Latin America. His presence gave enormous encouragement to Catholics, particularly in places where the Church faced persecution or serious difficulties. I wouldn't want to diminish the importance of those encounters for a moment. But somewhere along the way, what began as an extraordinary pastoral opportunity seems to have become an expectation. We now expect the Pope to be a universal teacher, the supreme legislator of the Church, an international diplomat, a spiritual father to more than a billion Catholics and an almost permanently travelling public figure. He must govern the Church, meet bishops, address political leaders, celebrate enormous liturgies, visit the poor, speak to journalists and somehow find sufficient time for prayer, study and reflection. And I wonder whether all this activity can sometimes distract from the things that only the Pope can actually do. After all, the Successor of Peter is not primarily an international celebrity or a travelling ambassador for Catholicism. His fundamental responsibility is to strengthen his brethren in the faith, preserve the unity of the Church and safeguard the apostolic deposit. International journeys can serve those responsibilities magnificently, but they are not the responsibilities themselves. There is another aspect to this that I think deserves consideration. The Catholic Church is not supposed to function as though every important pastoral event requires the Pope's personal presence. Diocesan bishops are successors of the Apostles in their own right, entrusted with genuine responsibility for the faithful in their care. They are not simply local managers waiting for the chief executive to arrive from Rome. Perhaps a healthier understanding of the papacy would involve fewer journeys, more carefully chosen destinations and greater confidence in the proper responsibilities of local bishops...Less "hyperpapalism"?? That doesn't mean withdrawing the Pope from the world, quite the opposite. It might make his visits all the more significant, & I certainly recognise that for Catholics in countries rarely visited by a pope, an apostolic journey can be an unforgettable experience. There are very good reasons for continuing them. But I do think we should ask whether the relentless demands of the modern papal schedule have become an end in themselves. We rightly admire St John Paul II's extraordinary witness during his final years, when his suffering became such a powerful expression of fidelity to his vocation. But his personal heroism doesn't necessarily mean that every successo
The Angelus is a short prayer recited by the pope at noon on Sundays, reflecting on the Incarnation and offering a blessing to the faithful. His scheduled South American tour, set to start in early November, remains on the agenda, underscoring the Vatican's confidence in his recuperation.
As of mid-October 2026, Pope Leo XIV is recovering from lung cancer surgery, has used his hospital-bed line to advocate for a ceasefire in the besieged Ukrainian city of Oleshky, and is receiving medical confirmation of steady improvement. While the Kremlin attributes the humanitarian hardship to Ukrainian actions, the pope's appeal for aid access and civilian evacuation highlights the Holy See's ongoing diplomatic effort to alleviate suffering through dialogue and peace.
Didn’t know the Pope was ‘a Putin lover’! No one in the EU or Australia has the willingness or capacity to engage in diplomacy. Nor on Gaza, Lebanon, Cuba. Iran…wonder why? Pope Leo recovering well from lung cancer surgery, speaks with Putin on Ukraine https://t.co/8X0WGfyjid