Also known as: former pope Francis · Leo's predecessor Francis · Leo's predecessor
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Order a long-term news report on Pope Francis
Every mention in the Kenyan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
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The Standard
… Tomorrow he will recite the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment," the Vatican said.The Angelus prayer is typically given by the pope from the window of the Apostolic Palace, but in past years, former popes John Paul II and Francis similarly hospitalised at the G …
Pope will leave hospital, return to Vatican Saturday: Holy SeeCitizen Digital
… (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP) Audio By Vocalize From the silence surrounding John XXIII's cancer to the detailed medical bulletins issued during Francis's hospitalisations, Vatican communication about popes' health has gradually opened up over the past half-century. …
Papal health news: A sensitive issue for VaticanThe Standard
… The Vatican has historically been very secretive about the health of popes, but began to be more transparent during the illness of Leo's predecessor Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed his ailments. …
Pope Leo has cancerous tumour removed in lung operationThe Standard
… The Vatican has historically been very secretive about the health of popes, but began to be more transparent during the illness of Leo's predecessor Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed his ailments. …
Pope Leo recovering after lung cancer operationThe Standard
… I came to express my closeness, to show my spiritual support, because I also came for Pope Francis," she told AFP. …
Pope out of bed, progress 'normal' after lung cancer operationCapital News
… Changes to papal schedule The hospitalization has prompted changes to the programme of a meeting marking the 10th anniversary of the publication of Amoris laetitia, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on love in the family. …
Pope Leo XIV admitted to hospital for lung surgeryCitizen Digital
… The Vatican was historically very secretive about papal health, but began to be more transparent during the illness of Leo's predecessor Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed ailments. …
Pope heads to hospital for lung operationCapital News
… However, he was due to miss the afternoon session of a meeting in the Paul VI Hall marking the 10th anniversary of the publication of Amoris laetitia, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on love in the family. …
Pope Leo XIV cancels audiences through October 20 ahead of lung surgeryThe Standard
… "The doctors believe it would be right to intervene," he said.The Vatican has historically been very secretive about the health of popes, but began to be more transparent during the illness of Leo's predecessor Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed his ailments. …
Pope Leo in Rome hospital for lung operationCapital News
… The pontiff’s admission that he would need surgery comes nearly a year-and-a-half after he succeeded the late Pope Francis, who also experienced issues with his lungs that required hospital treatment. …
Pope Leo to have surgery after lump found on lungPope Leo XIV, 71, will leave Rome's Gemelli hospital on Saturday after doctors removed part of his right lung to extract a cancerous tumour and deemed him fit for discharge. He will return to the Vatican and recite the Angelus prayer from his apartment window on Sunday.
17 October 2026 · The Standard →
Pope Leo XIV, 71, will leave Rome's Gemelli hospital on Saturday after doctors removed part of his right lung to extract a cancerous tumour and deemed him fit for discharge. He will return to the Vatican and recite the Angelus prayer from his apartment window on Sunday.
17 October 2026 · The Standard →
Papal health disclosure has evolved significantly over the past half-century, from the Vatican's silence surrounding John XXIII's cancer diagnosis to more detailed medical bulletins during Pope Francis's hospitalizations. The current Pope Leo XIV has been admitted for an operation to remove a lung lump.
14 October 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Pope Leo XIV had a cancerous tumour removed from his right lung in a 90-minute operation on Tuesday at Rome's Gemelli hospital. The Vatican confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma and said the surgery was successful with no complications, though further tests are being carried out to determine if the cancer had spread.
14 October 2026 · The Standard →
Pope Leo XIV, elected last year, underwent a 90-minute operation on Tuesday to have a cancerous tumour removed from his right lung. The Vatican said the cancer was detected early and localised, with the pope expected to recover within a week.
14 October 2026 · The Standard →
Pope Leo XIV is out of bed, walking, and eating after surgeons removed a cancerous tumour from his right lung at Rome's Gemelli hospital on Tuesday. Post-operative tests show normal progress, though doctors await biopsy results to determine if the cancer has spread.
14 October 2026 · The Standard →
Pope Leo XIV has been admitted to Rome's Agostino Gemelli University Hospital for surgery to remove a small, localized lung nodule discovered during routine medical examinations. He is expected to remain hospitalized for approximately one week and has cancelled all scheduled audiences through October 20.
13 October 2026 · Capital News →
Pope Leo XIV, 71, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital for surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule discovered during recent medical checks. Doctors described the nodule as being at a very early stage, and experts say the operation is generally low-risk.
13 October 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Pope Leo XIV has cancelled all audiences through October 20 ahead of admission to Rome's Gemelli Hospital for surgery to remove a localized nodule in his lung discovered during routine medical examinations. The Pope is expected to remain hospitalized for approximately one week.
13 October 2026 · Capital News →
Pope Leo XIV, 71, entered a Rome hospital Tuesday for surgery to remove a pulmonary nodule discovered during routine medical checks. The Vatican said the nodule was found "at a very early stage" and doctors recommended intervention; it marks Leo's first hospitalisation since becoming head of the Catholic Church in May 2025.
13 October 2026 · The Standard →
Pope Leo XIV announced he will have surgery "in the coming days" after doctors found an early, well-localised nodule on his lung during a medical check-up. The 71-year-old said his medical team recommended intervention and he agreed, with the operation scheduled for the first days of next week at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
12 October 2026 · Capital News →
Pope Leo XIV announced he will have surgery in the coming days to remove a lung nodule detected during recent medical checks. The 71-year-old said the nodule was found at a very early stage and is very localised, and he is following his doctors' advice to proceed with the operation.
12 October 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit, the Vatican's first state visit to the nation in 18 years. The trip will include a mass on Saturday at Place de la Concorde and visits to Lourdes and Metz, with artificial intelligence and the continent's future among the pontiff's priorities.
25 September 2026 · The Standard →
An Argentine court has overturned the acquittal of Japanese former nun Kumiko Kosaka in a child sex abuse case involving deaf students at a Mendoza school; she now faces up to 50 years in prison, with sentencing to be determined by a lower court.
23 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Lucy Afandi Esipila, Regional Coordinator for Caritas Africa, has been appointed as one of 12 new Consultors to the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development by Pope Leo on August 18, 2026. Afandi is the first woman and youngest person to serve as Regional Coordinator of Caritas Africa.
20 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Prominent figures including Pope Leo XIV and Senator Bernie Sanders have raised concerns about cyberattacks and AI's potential to outsmart its creators, take over critical systems like nuclear codes, and render humans irrelevant if it operates without human oversight.
17 August 2026 · The Standard →
The Catholic Diocese of Kericho has called on the government to urgently intervene to stop alleged destruction of the Londiani Forest Block and address rising tensions over land at the Samburet Tea Estate. Bishop Alfred Rotich warned that continued forest destruction and conflict could threaten the environment, livelihoods, and peaceful coexistence among communities in the area.
4 August 2026 · The Standard →
Cabinet Secretary Mudavadi has called for greater collaboration among governments, faith leaders and young people to promote peace, empower youth and strengthen good governance across Eastern Africa, speaking at the 21st Plenary Assembly of AMECEA in Nairobi.
20 July 2026 · The Standard →
Pope Leo XIV visits Italy's Lampedusa island on July 4, a major port for African migrants crossing to Europe, in a message to US and EU leaders. The Chicago-born pontiff has clashed with the Trump administration over migrant treatment and made migrant defence central to his papacy.
4 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Pope Leo XIV visited Italy's Lampedusa island, a major entry point for migrants from Africa, calling on Europe to protect and integrate migrants while developing long-term strategic plans and assisting developing countries to prevent forced emigration.
4 July 2026 · The Standard →
Self-proclaimed religious figures in Fatima are conducting monthly "exorcism retreats" outside official Church oversight, prompting Catholic authorities to warn that the gatherings risk exploiting vulnerable believers.
20 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air mass in Madrid's Cibeles Square on Sunday, drawing a jubilant crowd numbering more than 1.2 million people according to organisers. The pontiff called for an end to "polarising narratives" during his week-long state visit to Spain, which is expected to focus on migration and social issues.
7 June 2026 · The Standard →
Pope Leo XIV is visiting Spain for seven days with a focus on immigration and social justice during a politically turbulent period for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The trip includes papal visits to Madrid and Barcelona, a planned meeting with victims of clergy sexual abuse, and meetings with migrants in the Canary Islands.
6 June 2026 · The Standard →
Pope Leo XIV issued an unprecedented apology for the Vatican's role in justifying slavery, calling the delay in condemning it "a wound in Christian memory." He stated that Church institutions owned slaves until the Middle Ages and that the Apostolic See intervened to regulate and legitimize enslavement of "infidels" in the early modern period.
25 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Pope Leo XIV will release an encyclical titled "Magnifica Humanitas" addressing ethical and social challenges posed by artificial intelligence, with experts including Anthropic's co-founder present at the Vatican presentation. The Pope has previously denounced the militarization of AI, warning against delegating life-and-death decisions to machines.
25 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A 53-year-old Canadian man became increasingly isolated after using ChatGPT intensively, spending up to 16 hours daily with the chatbot while developing grandiose beliefs about solving physics mysteries and eventually applying to become pope; he was twice admitted to a psychiatric ward before his wife left him.
13 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope, initially adopted a measured and discreet style focused on social priorities like poverty and artificial intelligence risks, but has recently moved toward a confrontational tone with US President Trump over policy disagreements.
6 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Spain will deploy more than 13,000 police officers and Civil Guards to manage security during Pope Leo XIV's visit to Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands from June 6 to 12, the interior minister said, citing multiple potential threats including terrorism and social movements.
4 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo XIV during a trip to Rome this week, following Trump's recent criticism of the pontiff's anti-war stance. Rubio is also scheduled to meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian officials, amid a widening transatlantic rift over Middle East policy.
4 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Rome and the Vatican this week, weeks after President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV over his anti-war stance. Italian media reported Rubio, a Catholic, would meet the Pope on Thursday to "thaw" relations, and is scheduled to meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
3 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Rome and the Vatican this week to meet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, following tensions between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV over the pontiff's anti-war rhetoric and Trump's immigration policies.
3 May 2026 · The Standard →