Pope Leo’s cancer is ‘game changer’ for papacy, Vatican foreign minister says

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Pope Leo's lung cancer diagnosis and surgery have affected perceptions of his health and papacy, according to Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher. The pope, 71, had part of a lung removed on October 13; doctors said the cancer was localized and had not spread.

Pope Leo’s lung cancer diagnosis and surgery has affected how Catholics view his health and papacy, the Vatican’s foreign minister said on Tuesday, in an unusual acknowledgement by one of the Church’s most senior officials. “It’s a bit of ‌a game changer,” Archbishop Paul Gallagher told journalists at an event in Rome. Leo, 71, had part of one lung removed in surgery on October 13. His doctors have said the cancer was localised and had not spread, and the pope will not require further...