Vatican & World News 13.10.2026

Laudato a Jesus Christus, Vatican and World News.

And the US military archbishop appeals to Catholic soldiers not to take part in the upcoming firing squad for the execution of Nidal Hassan.

In the Vatican, I'm Joseph Tulloch.

Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital and will undergo surgery on Tuesday afternoon to remove a small localised nodule from his lung.

An update on the operation is expected on Tuesday evening. Speaking to journalists on Monday, the director of the HDC press office, Matteo Bruni, said that the nodule had been found during routine medical examinations.

He confirmed that Pope Leo is expected to remain in hospital for about a week after surgery.

Colonel Baldassarena, the Pope's Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, will lead the prayer of the rosary this evening in the Gemelli Hospital Chapel.

Devon Watkins reports. The Church across the globe gathered in prayer for Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday as he was admitted to Gemelli Hospital for surgery to remove a small localized nodule from his lung.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope's Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, is leading the Rosary at 6 p.m. in the hospital's St.

John Paul II Chapel. He has invited every parish and religious community in the diocese to pray the Rosary at the same hour, entrusting the Holy Father to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary.

The Pope's Augustinian confreres have also invited the faithful to pray for his health and for the doctors caring for him.

A day earlier, the Augustinian-run shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genizzano, near Rome, called the community together in prayer for the operation and for the Pope's quick recovery.

The shrine has a particular place in Pope Leo's life, and he has visited it twice since his election.

In Peru, Cardinal Carlos Castillo, Archbishop of Lima, celebrated Mass for his health at the Shrine of Las Nazarenas.

Chiclayo, Pope Leo's former diocese, held a Mass on Monday evening at its cathedral.

In the Philippines, Archbishop Gilbert Garcera asked bishops and priests to offer Mass for the operation and his recovery.

He encouraged families and religious communities to pray the rosary and offer daily sacrifices and acts of charity for the Pope's healing.

Across Africa, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo invited bishops, priests, consecrated men and women and the lay faithful to unite in prayer.

He expressed the hope that Eucharistic celebrations and personal prayers would convey the African continent's closeness to the Holy Father.

I'm Devin Watkins. The Holy See Secretary of State, Colonel Pietro Parolin, spoke briefly to journalists this morning, also about the Pope's health.

As Deborah Castellana-Lubov reports, he expressed his hope for the Pope's quick recovery from surgery.

On the morning before Pope Leo XIV would be admitted to Rome's Cimelli Hospital for surgery to remove a lung nodule confined to a limited area,

the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed his closeness to the Pope and praised the Holy Father's serenity.

He spoke to journalists asking about Pope Leo's health

on the sidelines of a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University

entitled, John Paul I, Justitia et Pax, Safeguarding and Promoting Peace in This Troubled World, organized by the Vatican John Paul I Foundation, of which the Cardinal is president.

We were all struck by his serenity, the Cardinal said, referring to the composure with which the Pope conveyed his announcement about his upcoming surgery at the Sunday Angelus.

We hope, as he said, that we are right at the beginning of this difficulty and that the problem, therefore, can be resolved as soon as possible.

We are confident, he said. Naturally, we are all accompanying him with our prayers and affection.

Parolin explained that he had spoken with Pope Leo on Monday afternoon. We spoke very calmly.

The Holy Father truly is a great example in this regard, he said.

Parolin acknowledged that he was concerned since he certainly didn't expect something like this to happen.

However, he noted that it was a condition which, thank God, was detected immediately and which, therefore, could be addressed as soon as possible.

He said that normally when these things are caught in time, they can be resolved.

The Cardinal also reflected on the great outpouring of affection from people around the world for the Pope.

This shows how much Pope Leo is loved, appreciated, and followed by everyone, as he encouraged people to continue expressing their closeness to the Pope as he undergoes the procedure.

On Monday, Cardinal Izao Kikuchi, Archbishop of Tokyo, posted on Facebook following his private meeting with the Holy Father.

The Cardinal wrote, though the Pope assured me that this

is a minor operation and he feels nothing wrong with his body, he said he has decided to go for the operation as soon as possible not to change his plan of the Latin America visit.