Pope Leo XIV has arrived at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital for surgery to remove a nodule from his lung, as Catholics across the world unite in prayer for the Holy Father’s health, a successful operation, and a complete recovery.
The Pope’s hospitalization on Tuesday, October 13, comes amid an outpouring of spiritual support from Catholic communities spanning Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Africa, with bishops, priests, religious communities, and lay faithful offering Masses and Rosaries for his healing.
According to Vatican News, Pope Leo arrived at Gemelli Hospital at 1:07 p.m. Tuesday, where patients, medical personnel, and well-wishers gathered to welcome him. As his vehicle entered the hospital grounds, those waiting outside applauded and called out greetings.
Despite preparing for surgery, the Holy Father took time to greet hospital officials and briefly approach several patients, including individuals in wheelchairs.
The Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Leo is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday afternoon to remove what has been described as a “small, localized nodule” from his lung.
The procedure will be performed by the hospital’s thoracic surgery team under the leadership of Professor Stefano Margaritora.
Speaking with journalists on Monday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni explained that the nodule had been discovered during routine medical examinations. According to Vatican News, the Pope is expected to remain hospitalized for approximately one week following the operation.
The Vatican is expected to provide an additional update on his condition Tuesday evening.
The hospitalization follows a busy Monday morning during which Pope Leo maintained his scheduled audiences, continuing his responsibilities ahead of the planned medical procedure.
Rome Unites in Prayer for the Holy Father
As the Pope undergoes surgery, the Diocese of Rome is organizing a special Rosary to entrust him to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
According to Vatican News, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, will lead the Rosary at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Gemelli Hospital’s St. John Paul II Chapel.
Cardinal Reina has invited every parish and religious community throughout the diocese to pray the Rosary at the same hour, creating a united moment of prayer for the Holy Father.
The prayer service will be broadcast live by Vatican Media and made available through the Vatican News website and YouTube channel, allowing Catholics beyond Rome to participate.
Religious sisters have already gathered in the hospital chapel to pray for Pope Leo, while patients, visitors, and hospital staff have expressed their affection and support.
Among those who came to welcome the Holy Father was Aurora, a student at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.
“I wanted to be here to greet the Holy Father,” she told Vatican News.
Elena Beccalli, rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, also expressed the university community’s closeness to the Pope.
“As he is admitted to the hospital, we accompany him with our prayers, mindful of the close bond between our university and the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation,” Beccalli told Vatican News.
She also expressed gratitude for the Pope’s teachings, particularly his emphasis on human dignity, dialogue, and peace.
Pope Leo’s Augustinian Brothers Gather at Marian Shrine
Among those praying for Pope Leo are members of the Order of St. Augustine, the religious community to which the Holy Father belongs.
According to Vatican News, the Pope’s Augustinian confreres have invited Catholics to pray not only for his recovery but also for the doctors and medical professionals entrusted with his care.
On Monday evening, the Augustinian-run Shrine of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, near Rome, gathered the faithful in prayer for the upcoming operation.
The shrine holds special significance for Pope Leo, who has visited the Marian sanctuary twice since his election to the papacy.
The Midwest Augustinians in the United States have also announced that their communities are praying in a special way for their fellow Augustinian, inviting others to join them in spiritual solidarity.
Masses and Rosaries Offered Across the World
The response to Pope Leo’s hospitalization has extended far beyond the Vatican, with Catholic leaders across several continents calling for prayer.
In Peru, where Pope Leo previously served as a bishop, Cardinal Carlos Castillo, Archbishop of Lima, celebrated Mass for the Holy Father’s health at the Shrine of Las Nazarenas in Lima shortly after the Pope announced his upcoming surgery.
In Chiclayo, the diocese formerly led by Pope Leo, a special Mass was scheduled for Monday evening at the cathedral, with Bishop Edinson Farfán Córdova presiding.
The prayers from Peru reflect the continuing spiritual connection between the Holy Father and the Catholic communities he served before his election.
In the Philippines, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, encouraged bishops and priests to offer Masses for the Pope’s successful surgery and recovery.
He also urged families and religious communities to pray the Rosary and offer daily sacrifices and acts of charity for the Holy Father’s healing, according to Vatican News.
Across Africa, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa and president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, invited bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and lay faithful to unite in prayer.
The cardinal expressed his hope that Eucharistic celebrations and personal prayers would communicate the closeness of the Church in Africa to Pope Leo during his hospitalization.
In the United States, Catholics in the Pope’s native Chicago have also gathered to pray.
Parishioners at St. Mary of the Angels Church offered prayers for the Holy Father during Monday evening Mass, joining the growing number of Catholic communities asking God to grant him healing and strength.
These gatherings demonstrate how the Pope’s medical treatment has brought Catholics together across national and cultural boundaries through the shared traditions of the Mass, the Rosary, and intercessory prayer.
A Moment of Faith and Spiritual Solidarity
For Catholics, the hospitalization of the successor of St. Peter is an opportunity to express spiritual closeness to the Holy Father and to place his health in God’s hands.
The Church’s response also reflects the importance of praying for those who are sick, a spiritual work of mercy deeply rooted in Catholic teaching.
Through the celebration of the Eucharist, the recitation of the Rosary, and personal acts of prayer and sacrifice, the faithful are asking God to guide the surgeons, strengthen Pope Leo, and grant him a peaceful recovery.
As the Holy Father prepares for his operation, the faithful are encouraged to remember him in their daily prayers, particularly through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick.
With the Pope expected to remain at Gemelli Hospital for approximately one week, attention now turns to the outcome of Tuesday’s surgery and the medical update anticipated from the Vatican later in the evening.
Across the world, Catholics continue to lift up Pope Leo XIV in prayer, united in hope for his healing and his return to the ministry entrusted to him as shepherd of the universal Church.
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