Pope Leo XIV's doctors say his recovery is proceeding as planned following an operation to remove a cancerous mass from his right lung. Bishop Mark O'Connell of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, who says he's set to meet the pope this spring, discussed the latest with WAMC's Andrew Pugliese.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
Editor's note: This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
O'Connell: Well, it was surprising because he's in such good shape. Compared to the other popes that I have experienced in person, he's quite quick. He walks quickly. He carries things. He plays tennis. So, any kind of vulnerability was surprising. I was also appreciative of the fact that he told us all. That is not something in the past the Vatican would do [say] I'm going in for tests. That's, I guess, typical of Pope Leo to be very transparent and open. So I appreciated that. Then I was, I guess, expecting nothing, and I was expecting delay, so that we got the diagnosis of cancer on the same day was very surprising. But now that we know it's cancer, we hope that the surgery was curative. That's my great hope. I remain hopeful, and that this will be something that was caught early, and he'll continue to lead us wonderfully as he's doing. Take his trip [to Peru]. He has very important trips coming up, as the trips in Spain and France have been so important. He has South American trips. I just hope that all continues and that we continue with this excellent pope. I get to meet him in March. I'm looking forward to meeting a healthy pope.
Pugliese: And I was going to ask about that. You mentioned his trips. Such an important part of the papacy is going out and meeting the faithful around the world, and he is coming back off these two trips to Paris — to France at large — and to Spain. Can you speak just to how important it is for the pope to go out and meet the faithful and to be in the health to go do so throughout the year?
O'Connell: Well, it plants so many seeds of faith that grow over the years. I can't tell you — I mean, you might know I'm from Boston — how many priests' vocations began when John Paul II visited Boston, and he said, "Do not be afraid, and in the rain." ... Where he [Leo] goes, it's on the main news at night. ... people can't avoid it. He went to the Philippines, and 7 million people came. The reaction in Spain is enormous, and then France is enormous, and wait 'til he goes back to Peru, where he was the bishop. It's not just the impact of the day; it's the lasting impact on Catholics in that area that is very exciting to me.
Pugliese: And for the faithful who might be, you know, thinking back in time. Obviously we had Pope John Paul I, who had such a short papacy of 33 days after Paul VI. What would you say to anyone — I mean, obviously, Pope Leo's 71 years old. That's not very old, particularly for a pope. It's very early in his papacy. But for those who might be concerned about his health and about the longevity of his papacy, as you said, just getting started, creating a lot of excitement. What would you say to the folks who might be concerned about him and his health and his ability to continue in the papacy, or for a short papacy, their concerns about that?
O'Connell: Well, I will remain hopeful that this is just something that was dealt with yesterday [Tuesday], and he'll continue. But, [you] know, [the] church has been at this for 2,000 years, and the Holy Spirit has raised him [Leo] for an important reason. And if that reason is only short-lived, he's already had a huge impact, and the Holy Spirit will raise up another. But I expect him to be my pope for a long time.
