Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer (10/13/2026)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Several days ago, the Vatican announced that he was having a lung nodule biopsied, and it looks like they did this and then went ahead with the removal of that lobe of his lung when it turned up positive.

My dad had this done in early 2023, 8 months before he died from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 90. Dad was a city firefighter for 36 years and raised by smokers, although AFAIK he never smoked. He declined further treatment, because the surgery appeared to get it all, and his doctors agreed.

I’m not Catholic, but I hope he makes a full recovery and lives out a very long and faithful life.

2

I am not of his faith, or any especially, but I respect and admire him greatly, and wish him a speedy and complete recovery.

3

^^ Perfectly said.

The Pope is 71. So not old, but also not young. Plenty of vigor, but lotta ways for his wheels to start coming off after this.

4

It’s been decades since we had a healthy Pope.

Pope John Paul II was very vigorous in the beginning years. He traveled a lot in the Pope mobile. PJP was in bad health towards the end.

Seems like all of them since were feeble. One wisely stepped down and retired before dying.

Now Pope Leo has cancer. Chemo will take a heavy toll.

5

Maybe time for them to decide to not hire anyone over 50. Maybe we should do the same for Presidents.

6

“Cardinal” isn’t exactly an entry-level position.

7

All but one died in office. Terrible record.

8

Not Catholic, or religious in any manner, but am a cancer survivor. Cancer sucks. I hope his treatment is successful and he has more years ahead of him.

9

Being a surgeon is a high-stress gig as it is. When your patient is the head of the Catholic Church? That has to just kick it up a notch. On the other hand, it does present a dynamite opportunity to score some brownie points with God. I like to imagine the surgeon will bring up the whole “I fixed the pope” thing in their prayers from here on out.

10

Not correct.

There were several back in the 1600’s and before who did not. Some even retired, elected a replacement, and moved to a monastery, only to later be called back to serve again as Pope.

11

Well… not so much nowadays.But the origin of the word ‘nepotism’ suggests this may not always have been the case.

12

From what I heard, there was a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma on intraoperative evaluation (probably frozen section). If tumor is limited to the small nodule, there aren’t any worrisome histologic features and no lymph node spread is detected, no further treatment may be indicated.

They’ll probably do molecular testing on tumor tissue in case targeted drug therapy is indicated now or in the future.

13

The Vatican’s doctor says he needs no further treatment.

14

I heard that too. Yippee!

15

Yes it’s really good that the Pope gets to take his trip next week; it’s really good that he’s going for it!

16
17

He is recovering faster than many of us would have expected.

18

Older than that. Last one was Gregory XII in 1415. There was a 3-way schism between Popes in Rome (Greg), the last gasps of the continued Avignon Papacy, and a new upstart in Pisa. Gregory resigned to resolve it, but there was an interregnum until he died 2 years later.

Previously of his own accord, Celestine V in 1294 who disliked Poping and tried to return to hermit life but was put under house arrest instead.

Others like Benedict IX basically sold the seat.