President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called on the Filipino nation to join Catholics worldwide in praying for Pope Leo XIV’s full recovery following the pontiff’s diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.
“The entire Filipino nation joins the Catholic faithful around the world in praying for the swift and full recovery of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,” Marcos said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The President expressed hope that the 71-year-old pontiff would regain his health and continue providing spiritual leadership to Catholics around the world.
“We look forward to his return to good health and to his continued spiritual leadership, guidance and blessings for the faithful,” Marcos added.
The Pope underwent surgery on Tuesday at Gemelli Hospital in Rome to remove a lower lobe of his right lung after doctors detected a small, localized lung nodule.
The Vatican confirmed that the procedure was successful.
However, tissue tests established that the nodule was lung adenocarcinoma, a common type of non-small cell lung cancer.
The diagnosis comes after doctors identified the localized growth in the Pope’s right lung, prompting the surgical procedure to remove the affected portion.
Lung adenocarcinoma accounts for about 40% of lung cancer cases worldwide, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information of the US National Library of Medicine said the cancer typically develops in the outer regions of the lungs.
It is also frequently diagnosed in non-smokers, women, younger people and individuals of East Asian ancestry.
Marcos’ message placed the Filipino faithful alongside Catholics in other parts of the world in expressing their prayers and hopes for the Pope’s recovery.
The President also underscored the importance of the pontiff’s continued spiritual leadership, expressing hope that he would return to good health and resume guiding the faithful.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
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