The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) has called on Catholics across the country to Pope Leo XIV's recovery after the lung surgery.
In a circular dated October 13, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, president of the CCBI and archbishop of Goa and Daman, urged archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, catechists and lay faithful of the Latin Catholic Church in India to offer special prayers for the pope’s successful surgery and recovery.
“I kindly request that special prayers for his successful surgery, speedy recovery, good health and renewed strength be offered in our dioceses, parishes, religious communities and institutions,” Cardinal Ferrão wrote.
He also asked priests to include special intercessions for the pope during the celebration of the Holy Mass and in the Prayer of the Faithful.
Pope Leo XIV announced on October 11 that doctors had discovered a small, localized nodule in his lung during recent medical examinations. He said the growth had been detected at a very early stage and that his doctors recommended surgery to remove it.
The Vatican announced that the pope would be admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on October 13 for the procedure. His recovery is expected to require about a week of hospitalization, and his public audiences have been suspended through October 20.
In his appeal, Cardinal Ferrão highlighted the importance of prayer and spiritual solidarity with the pope during his treatment.
“As we observe the Month of the Holy Rosary, let us remember Pope Leo XIV in our daily personal and community prayers, especially through the recitation of the Holy Rosary,” he wrote.
He invoked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking her to accompany the pope throughout his treatment and recovery.
Cardinal Ferrão also expressed the hope that the prayers of Catholics would strengthen the pope in his ministry of leading the universal Church.
“Let our united prayers be a sincere expression of our filial love, ecclesial communion and spiritual closeness to the Successor of Peter,” he wrote.
The CCBI is the national episcopal conference of the Latin Catholic Church in India. Its appeal adds to expressions of prayer and solidarity from Catholic communities as the pope prepares for the operation.
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