Pope Leo XIV Draws Support
Doctors assess Pope Leo XIV's prognosis as Trump and Catholics offer support and prayers.
8 left10 center3 right
Updated 12:00pm ETEvery side, every morning
A free recap of the day’s biggest stories and how each side covered them.
What happened
Doctors said Pope Leo XIV’s post-surgery tests were normal after surgeons removed his lower right lung lobe and confirmed lung adenocarcinoma. They said his operated lung was recovering well, and the Vatican said he was mobile and working from the hospital while his public schedule is canceled through Oct. 20. The diagnosis lands early in a pontificate many expected to be long, after Leo was elected at 69 in 2025. It also raises questions about his planned trip through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he spent more than 20 years as a missionary and bishop. Catholics in Chicago and South America offered prayers, and President Donald Trump wished him a speedy recovery. The Vatican has not disclosed the cancer’s stage.
How each side covered it
From the left
Left-leaning outlets framed Leo’s hospital work as reassuring, while keeping the uncertainty over further treatment in view. The Los Angeles Times emphasized how the diagnosis could disrupt expectations of a stable pontificate and complicate his church agenda. HuffPost focused on Trump’s sympathy message as self-centered political branding.
From the right
Right-leaning outlets led with reassurance and personal support, giving less weight to criticism of Trump’s remarks. Fox News highlighted Trump’s warm message and his friendship with the pope’s pro-MAGA brother. Breitbart News stressed the return to ordinary recovery routines after surgery. The Washington Times cited Vatican watchers saying the diagnosis could strengthen Leo’s unifying role.
Headlines
Left8
Los Angeles Times · 6hQuestions swirl about pope's future and what he knew when praying at a French shrine famed for cures
Daily Beast · 7hPope Leo, 71, Has a New Workplace After Lung Surgery
Boston Globe · 14hPope Leo XIV’s cancer diagnosis raises questions about the future and the very recent past - The Boston Globe
PBS NewsHour · 6hWhat is adenocarcinoma? Here's what to know about Pope Leo XIV's form of lung cancer
El Pais · 10hLeo XIV’s cancer diagnosis upends the pontificate: ‘We thought we had a pope for 20 years; this changes everything in the Curia’
Center10
NBC News · 13hPope Leo had a good night in the hospital, the Vatican says
Associated Press · 23hChicago Catholics rally for prayer in Pope Leo’s hometown after his lung cancer diagnosis
CBS News · Oct 14Pope Leo's lung cancer prognosis could depend on these factors, doctors say
ABC News · 20hSouth Americans pray for Pope Leo’s recovery as uncertainty hangs over his visit
Chicago Sun-Times · 6hAn open letter to Pope Leo XIV regarding cancer, and how to survive it
Right3
Also today
All of today's stories →- 1DOJ Subpoenas Ilhan Omar’s RelativesMostly RightMostly Right73articles
- 2Balanced73articles
- 3Ukraine Starlink Access TightensBalancedBalanced71articles
- 4Balanced59articles
- 5Balanced52articles
- 6Katie Zacharia Faces CriticismMostly LeftMostly Left51articles