Pope's health should not be taken 'for granted', says top Vatican diplomat

What the report says

A senior Vatican diplomat has told the BBC that Pope Leo XIV’s recent health problems should not be assumed away, saying the illness came as a surprise and may change how the pontiff’s work is viewed. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister and a British cleric from Liverpool, said there had been no obvious warning signs before the Pope’s operation at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital this week. The Vatican has said the procedure was successful and carried out without complications.

Gallagher said the news was “a bit of a game changer,” adding that church officials may have taken the Pope’s good health for granted. His comments came before the Vatican later disclosed that the Pope had been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung. The article notes that the Vatican had previously said the Pope showed no symptoms of illness before the operation.

According to the BBC report, the Pope has been recovering steadily in hospital, with no discharge date announced, though a roughly week-long recovery had been expected. He was also expected to lead Sunday prayers, possibly from hospital if needed. The article places the development in the wider context of papal health and public expectations, noting that earlier popes have sometimes appeared at the Angelus from hospital while recuperating.