Pope Leo's cancer is a 'gamechanger' for papacy, Vatican foreign minister says

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VATICAN CITY - 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 acknowledgment by one of the Church's most senior officials.

"It's a bit of a gamechanger," 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 localized and had not spread, and the pope will not require further treatment.

Gallagher said that given Leo's relatively young age for a pope and his physical fitness, some Catholics had thought he was a "Superman" pope.

The illness revealed that Leo "is a poor mortal like the rest of us," said the archbishop.

"I think that is going to change how we see him and possibly how he sees himself as well," said Gallagher, a Briton who has served in his Vatican role since 2014.

Ukraine ceasefire, papal visit to US

Separately, Gallagher also addressed the recent ceasefire agreed by Russia and Ukraine to allow aid into the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshky.

He said that while Leo had recently spoken with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he did not believe the Vatican was involved in arranging the ceasefire.

"I don't think we were," said Gallagher.

He also spoke about the Vatican's ongoing agreement with China on the appointment of Catholic bishops in the communist state, and acknowledged "imperfections" with the accord.

The deal, first signed in 2018, gives Chinese officials some input into whom Leo appoints as bishops in the country.

"It's not easy, the dialogue is not easy. The imperfections of the agreement are evident, but there is a commitment to persevere in dialogue … and that is what will continue to happen," said Gallagher.

The archbishop also said he expects Leo, the first US-born pope, could visit the United States "in the not too distant future." But he said the visit might not occur in 2027, depending on the pope's commitments. — Reuters