All articles tagged with #vatican news
Pope Leo XIV, a non-smoker, underwent surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to remove an early-stage pulmonary adenocarcinoma nodule and his right lung’s lower lobe. While medical updates indicate normal recovery, the diagnosis has sparked discussions about the risks of lung cancer in non-smokers and the future of his pontificate.
Pope Leo XIV participated in the Marian procession on Lake Albano for the first time in history, arriving by boat to lead prayers for peace and the vulnerable. The event, held in Castel Gandolfo, featured musical performances and a solemn atmosphere despite large crowds.
Pope Leo XIV, speaking at St. Peter’s Basilica, presents the liturgical year as a living renewal of Christ’s saving work, with Sunday described as its foundation and kernel. He emphasizes active Eucharistic participation as the visible expression of communion with Christ and the Church, warns against a purely virtual worship, and traces the year’s development from Easter, Lent, and Pentecost to Christmas and Marian/martyr/saint feasts, asserting that the year guides salvation history and should inform pastoral action.
Pope Leo XIV concluded a weeklong Spain visit with a farewell at Tenerife’s Los Rodeos, but a technical problem with the Iberia Airbus A320 prevented the planned departure. The Holy See announced the Pope would return to Rome aboard a plane graciously provided by King Felipe VI of Spain, with journalists and Holy See staff traveling back on a separate Iberia flight. The journey had included stops in Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas and Tenerife.
Ahead of the General Audience, Pope Leo XIV paused at the white marble plaque marking the spot where John Paul II was shot in 1981, dedicating his catechesis to the Blessed Virgin Mary and urging prayers for peace at Fatima, recalling JPII’s forgiveness and Marian intercession.
Pope Leo XIV authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate decrees advancing six individuals toward sainthood: Ludovico Altieri (offering of life); Edward Joseph Flanagan; Henri Caffarel; Stanisława Samulowska; María of Bethlehem of the Heart of Jesus Romero Algarín; and Giuseppe Castagnetti. With decrees on heroic virtues, these candidates gain the title Venerable Servant of God, moving them closer to canonization.
Pope Leo XIV is moving into the renovated papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace on March 14, after previously residing at the Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio; the Third Loggia rooms—first used by Saint Pius X—include a private study, library and chapel, and seals on the door were removed in May 2025 following Pope Francis’s death.
Pope Leo XIV appointed four new auxiliary bishops for the Diocese of Rome—Stefano Sparapani, Alessandro Zenobbi, Andrea Carlevale, and Marco Valenti—each previously serving as parish priests in Rome, with roles including episcopal vicars for different city sectors.