Catholic News Digest – October 13, 2026

Pope Leo XIV was scheduled to enter Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital late Tuesday morning for surgery to remove a nodule from one of his lungs. The Holy See Press Office announced the admission on Monday, a day after the Pope told pilgrims at the Angelus that doctors had found the nodule during a routine checkup and advised surgery. A lung specialist who previously worked at Gemelli told the National Catholic Reporter that the hospital’s thoracic surgery department is of an excellent standard and said the Pope was in good hands.

On Monday, Pope Leo appointed Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, a 61-year-old Italian Franciscan, as archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. The appointment also makes him vicar general for Vatican City and president of the Fabric of St. Peter, which oversees the basilica’s conservation. Viola leaves his post as secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which he had held since 2021. The Vatican’s announcement comes as the basilica marks the 400th anniversary of its consecration.

Oct. 12 marked 20 years since the death of St. Carlo Acutis, whose devotion to the Eucharist and interest in technology have drawn many young Catholics to his story. EWTN News reported that his life and path to sainthood unfolded under four popes: John Paul II, whom Carlo saw on pilgrimage; Benedict XVI, for whom he offered his suffering during cancer; Francis, during whose pontificate he was beatified; and Leo XIV, who canonized him. The anniversary offered a point of focus for Catholics recalling the teenager’s brief life and enduring place in the Church.

ACI Prensa adopted the name EWTN News Español on Monday, Oct. 12, and launched a new platform at EWTNNews.com/es. The Spanish-language Catholic news service said its mission remains to report the truth and bring the faith to Spanish-speaking audiences. The change joins a long-standing Latin American Catholic outlet to EWTN’s international news network under a shared name. Its launch date coincided with several Catholic observances, though the service said the date was not chosen when the transition was first planned.

New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks completed the final 62 miles of the Camino de Santiago in northwestern Spain and celebrated a pilgrim’s Mass at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela on Monday. In a homily delivered in Spanish and English, he spoke about his experience on the route and invited pilgrims to consider what they had journeyed toward and with whom. Hicks also recalled the devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar, saying she wants people to know her Son and find salvation through him. The pilgrimage brought the archbishop into contact with fellow travelers on one of the Church’s most familiar routes.

A commission’s proposed changes to canon law are drawing criticism from canonists, according to the National Catholic Register. The recommendations concern lay governance, tribunals and the Church’s teaching on infallibility. Critics argue that some proposals conflict with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. The commission’s report is nonbinding, and any changes would require Pope Leo’s approval before taking effect. The debate places questions of authority and the proper roles of the laity and clergy before Church leaders, with the proposals still subject to review.

In the United States, Catholic and evangelical leaders condemned a plan for the public execution of the man responsible for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Archbishop Paul Coakley said in a statement that a public execution, even of someone who had caused grave harm, would further damage the nation’s moral life and weigh on the conscience of its people. The leaders’ objection focused on the public nature of the planned execution. Their response brings Catholic teaching on human dignity into a case involving mass violence and the state’s use of the death penalty.

Catholic schools are anticipating increased scholarship funding through a new tax credit, the National Catholic Register reported, with the expected impact potentially reaching many families. The report described the measure as a possible benefit to Catholic schools and students. Details of how much funding schools may receive and how families will be affected remain to be seen. For parents weighing the cost of Catholic education, scholarship support can make a practical difference in access to a school shaped by the life of the Church.

As the Pope undergoes surgery, Catholics can keep him in their prayers and pray for the medical team caring for him. The same care belongs to families facing illness and uncertainty, and to all who serve them with skill and compassion.