Originally published at The Crux
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ROME — When Pope Leo XIV was elected after the pained finale of Pope Francis’ pontificate, there was hope that a younger, healthier pope would be able to guide the Catholic Church for quite some time before age and ailments slowed him.
Leo’s lung cancer diagnosis announced Tuesday has thrown a question mark into that scenario and his pontificate. Already, the president of Peru is suggesting Leo’s upcoming Latin America trip may have to be changed.
The Vatican on Thursday said the pope had spent a second peaceful night in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he is expected to recover for about a week.
“He got out of bed and had breakfast,” the Vatican said in the brief statement.
Vatican watchers say the 71-year-old’s diagnosis could have other unintended effects, not all of them negative. It could propel Leo to accelerate his own agenda, which to date has been slow and deliberate. It also could galvanize support for him, bolstering his efforts to unify the fractured Catholic Church.
And most poignantly for his own ministry, the diagnosis has placed Leo squarely among the “fragile” and “vulnerable” who have emerged as his central focus. In his preaching, writings and interactions
