Newsletters
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged the parties to the Russia-Ukraine war to allow grain to be transported safely across the Black Sea, warning that the conflict is hurting the world's poorest countries, before announcing he will undergo surgery to remove a nodule on his lung.
"The war in tormented Ukraine continues to cause suffering far beyond its borders, especially in the poorest countries, where so many people depend on grain imports," the pope said after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
"I make a heartfelt appeal to the parties to the conflict to allow for the safe transport of grain through the Black Sea," he added.
"The daily bread of millions of people cannot be held hostage by the war," the American pope noted.
The appeal follows a wave of drone attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea, including several Turkish-owned vessels, as both Russian and Ukrainian grain exports are disrupted.
Exports from the Black Sea region from July to September 2026 were estimated to be 6.5 million tons lower than a year earlier. Unlike in 2022, Russia’s exports are also affected this time.
"Close to a third of global wheat exports sail out of Russian and Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov," The Economist reported in August.
"During recent medical checks, a nodule on my lung was found. It has been detected at a very early stage and is very localized," the 71-year-old pope said.
"The doctors believe it would be right to intervene and so, following their advice, I have decided to have the operation to remove it. The operation is already planned in the coming days," he said. "Thank you for your spiritual closeness, and I entrust myself to your prayers."
The Vatican press office said recovery is expected to take about one week. The surgery is to take place at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. It was not clear whether it would affect the pope’s planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the "calmness with which he spoke during today’s Angelus reassures us."
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced on Sunday that there were assumptions about which country’s drones attacked ships in the Black Sea but no conclusive evidence, adding that no drone debris was found aboard the Palau-flagged Able.
Radev said he met Ukrainian official Kyrylo Budanov in Sofia on Saturday at Budanov’s request.
"It is clear that efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine deserve our support. Ending military activities is in the interest not only of the warring parties but of all of us, of all Europe, because we continue to pay an extremely high social and economic price," he said.
Drones struck the Able and the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone on Oct. 6, sinking the Alfa Watan, whose crew remains missing. Eleven Turkish and seven Indian sailors were rescued from the Able.
A day earlier, the Turkish-owned Royad Mammadov, carrying Ukrainian wheat to Italy, caught fire and sank off Romania, killing two crew members.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised Black Sea navigation safety in an Oct. 7 call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as concerns over Black Sea grain shipments grow.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
