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Ill pope formally remains in charge of the Church

During Leo XIV’s recovery, no one automatically takes over as head of the Catholic Church.

Follow-up to: Vatican confirms lung cancer in Pope Leo XIV Tuesday, 13 October 2026, 22:58

Pope Leo XIV formally remains head of the Roman Catholic Church during his hospital stay. His public schedule has been cancelled for now, but there is no automatic arrangement whereby a cardinal or other official temporarily assumes papal authority.

The pope underwent an operation at Gemelli hospital in Rome on Tuesday in which the lower lobe of his right lung was removed. According to the Vatican, the procedure went according to plan and Leo XIV returned to his room after a brief period of observation. The Vatican has cancelled all audiences through 20 October.

The question of who runs the Church when a pope is under anaesthetic or temporarily unable to work has therefore received renewed attention. According to Associated Press, there is no separate office within the Catholic Church that automatically assumes papal authority in such a situation. Under that explanation, the pope remains in office even when he is temporarily unable to act.

That follows from the way canon law describes the papal office. Canon 331 calls the pope the supreme, full, immediate and universal ordinary power in the Church. Canon 334 stipulates that bishops, cardinals and other institutions may assist him, but that they do so in his name and under his authority.

The code does contain rules for a vacant see, for example after a death or resignation, and for a situation in which the see is completely impeded. Canon 335 stipulates that in such circumstances nothing may be changed in the governance of the universal Church, except according to special rules. That provision does not constitute a fully developed system for a temporary substitute pope.

For day-to-day organisation, this means that the papal household and the governing bodies of the Curia can continue their work, but not that they take over the papal office. No acting pope or temporary regent has been announced in the official statements about Leo XIV. Which decisions the pope himself can take during his recovery depends on his medical condition and on communication with his staff.

The operation comes at a sensitive moment for a pontificate that is still taking shape. Leo XIV had meetings and Church gatherings scheduled for the coming days; these have now been altered or cancelled. It is not yet known when he will resume public appearances or what further medical treatment will follow.

The new situation is therefore not about a succession procedure, but about how a highly centralised institution functions when its formal leader is temporarily absent. As long as Leo XIV remains in office and does not resign, papal authority legally rests with him. How visibly he can exercise that authority in the coming weeks remains uncertain.

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