Pope Leo XIV: surgery for lung cancer
The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after an adenocarcinoma was discovered during a routine check-up. The operation is reported to have been successful and without complications. The media look at what the 71-year-old pope's illness could mean for the Catholic Church.
Anti-reformists will play for time now
The illness could jeopardise Leo's reform plans, The Times observes:
“The stability of the Church is, to a great extent, dependent on one man's health. Inside the Vatican, any scheming prelates hoping to oppose reforms planned by Leo will be encouraged to resist his rule and wait for the next man to come along, if they sense he is flagging. ... Observers reckoned he had a good 15 years to focus calmly on getting the Church back on a calmer track, after the turbulent liberal versus conservative battles of the Francis years.”
Acceleration or deceleration factor
La Stampa sees two possible scenarios:
“The pope's illness could spur him into action, as was the case with John XXIII: he was elected in the 1950s at the age of 77 and convened the Council because he knew he did not have much time left and had to act quickly. Or the cancer factor could weaken and slow down papal geopolitics, as happened during the last five years of Karol Wojtyła's pontificate, when due to his failing health it was no longer clear who was in charge in the Curia: the Holy See's international voice became as weak and inaudible as the Pope's health.”
Early detection means good chances of recovery
Tygodnik Powszechny avoids speculation and hopes for a full recovery:
“Assuming that it really is a small tumour (less than 2 cm) with a low degree of malignancy, detected at an early stage of development, there is hope that the patient will make a full recovery from the cancer. The statistics cited for such cases are encouraging: the five-year survival rate can be as high as 90 percent.”