Santo Domingo has a new archbishop: Carlos Tomás Morel Diplán. He succeeds Francisco Ozoria Acosta, whose resignation was accepted by Pope Leo XIV after he reached the episcopal retirement age of 75.

Morel Diplán had been appointed by Pope Leo as coadjutor archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Oct. 18, 2025, with the automatic right of succession.

As reported by the Vatican Press Office on Oct. 12 and by mandate of the Holy Father, the new archbishop of Santo Domingo also assumes the office of Military Ordinary of the Dominican Republic, a role previously held by Ozoria.

Ozoria offers Mass of Thanksgiving

On Sunday, Oct. 11, Ozoria, now archbishop emeritus of Santo Domingo, offered a Mass of Thanksgiving for his years of episcopal service. He spent 10 of those years serving the primatial see of the Americas, the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, erected in 1546, the first in the Western Hemisphere.

“I do not cease to be a bishop; I do not cease to be a priest; I am resigning from pastoral governance,” the prelate stated during the Mass in the Santo Domingo cathedral, concelebrated by Morel Diplán and other Dominican prelates, according to the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo.

“Every Eucharist is an act of thanksgiving to the Lord,” the archbishop emeritus said, highlighting that “the way to exercise the priesthood is in the manner of Jesus Christ, who gives life to the world through his death on the cross.”

New archbishop of Santo Domingo

Morel Diplán was born on Nov. 2, 1969, in Monte de la Jagua, Moca, in Espaillat Province. He was ordained a priest on June 24, 2000, for the Archdiocese of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic.

He has served as rector, vice-rector, and professor at the seminary; vocations director; parish priest, vicar, and parish administrator; collaborator with various diocesan curia bodies; and professor and director of the School for the Permanent Diaconate in Santiago de los Caballeros.

On Dec. 14, 2016, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Santiago de los Caballeros. On Dec. 2, 2023, he was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of La Vega, and on Oct. 18, 2024, he was named bishop of the same diocese.

On Oct. 18, 2025, he was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Santo Domingo.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Catholic and evangelical leaders issued an ecumenical statement Oct. 13 as part of a joint effort to call for compassionate immigration reform.

Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, and Rev. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, are the co-chairs of the Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration. Their joint statement, “A Call for Christian Compassion and Wisdom in the Immigration Debate,” marks the first such statement on immigration in U.S. history to be jointly issued by senior leaders of their respective traditions, they said.

Doctrinal differences, but shared principles

The pair said that although they have “doctrinal differences,” they are “united in our conviction that God calls us to stand both with our fellow Americans who are experiencing economic and cultural anxieties and with our immigrant neighbors who are facing existential challenges.”

The statement articulated shared principles that every human being is “created with dignity, bearing God’s image,” and that government “is responsible for protecting its citizens and providing for the common good, including the establishment and enforcement of reasonable immigration policies.”

Those policies should include targeted, humane border enforcement, clear legal pathways to citizenship and efforts to prevent the separation of families, they said. 

Statement highlights religious liberty threats

They also highlighted risks to religious liberty presented by certain immigration enforcement efforts. 

Catholic and other faith leaders have pointed to recent cases where religious liberty challenges have intersected with immigration issues, such as a recent lawsuit from the Archdiocese of St. Louis against the federal government over a policy it said prohibits priests from distributing holy Communion and hearing the confessions of people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We especially commit to upholding the right to religious liberty,” the statement said. “This right extends to all people, of all faiths and none, no matter their immigration status. It is implicated in a particular way for those in detention, for whom we as Christians are specifically compelled by Christ to offer our pastoral care (Matthew 25:31–46). We are resolute in our commitment to working with the relevant authorities to ensure access to religious and pastoral services for all in detention, that each person may have the opportunity for spiritual counsel and active participation in the sacraments.”

Catholic and evangelical unity on immigration

Faith leaders have also raised alarm about the need to prevent immigration enforcement actions at places seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals. 

In a joint statement issued through the USCCB, Bishop Cahill — currently bishop of Victoria, Texas, but was recently appointed the next bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois — and Rev. Kim said, “What is unique about this statement is not the content, which is grounded in centuries of Christian teaching and tradition that we have already affirmed separately, but the clear unity that exists between us in this moment.”

“As pastors devoted to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we share a responsibility to articulate our convictions, even when it comes to subject matter as challenging as immigration. In doing so together, we seek to embrace our common heritage as both Christians and Americans,” they said. They added that through Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration, “we have found a strong sense of fraternity and common purpose. It is from this sincere and patriotic perspective, and with deep concern for those affected by current immigration policies, that we offer this statement with both conviction and hope.”

Catholics, evangelicals account for most targeted for deportation

A joint report issued last year by the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and World Relief, found that more than 10 million Christians living in the U.S. would be vulnerable to deportation under Trump administration policies implemented in 2025. A majority of them were Catholic followed by a sizable number of evangelicals.

The joint statement from Bishop Cahill and Rev. Kim noted the report’s findings.

“Roughly one in 12 believers in this country either faces the loss of legal status or shares a home with someone who does,” they said. “Their fear is our fear; their tears are ours to wipe.”

Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.

The post Catholic, evangelical leaders issue joint call for compassionate immigration reform first appeared on OSV News.

ROME (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV underwent more medical exams and started respiratory physical therapy on Oct. 14, the day after the lung cancer surgery that removed the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung.

In the first medical update provided by the Vatican since the late-night revelation of the pope’s lung cancer diagnosis, the pope’s doctors said Wednesday that the pope’s “recovery is proceeding as expected” and the pope has begun walking around his hospital room.

“This morning, the Holy Father underwent the blood tests and chest X-ray scheduled following the surgery. The results confirm a normal postoperative recovery: the values are within the normal range for the type of surgery performed,” the joint statement by Dr. Stefano Margaritora, the pope’s surgeon, and Dr. Luigi Carbone, the pope’s personal doctor, said.

“The Holy Father underwent respiratory physical therapy and has begun walking around his room. He has resumed his regular diet, having had breakfast and lunch. His recovery is proceeding as expected.”

Post-operation tests to be conducted in the coming days

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists that Pope Leo was “in good spirits” the day after surgery. Bruni told journalists that before having surgery, Pope Leo had undergone a robotic bronchoscopy with biopsy, a chest CT scan with contrast, and a PET scan which indicated the need for the Oct. 13 surgery. 

Pope Leo was admitted to Gemelli Hospital Oct. 13 for the lung surgery, following the pope’s Oct. 11 disclosure that recent medical examinations had revealed a “well-contained” lung nodule that had been “detected at a very early stage.”

According to Vatican News, post-operation tests will be conducted on the removed tissue in the coming days.

In response to a question of how long the wait might be to receive any results as to whether cancer remains beyond what was removed during the pope’s surgery, Bruni said, “You have to ask a doctor for the timing of those. It usually takes five, 10, 15 days depending on the situation.”

Speaking with OSV News, medical experts indicated that a potential analysis of the pope’s lymph nodes could be key to evaluating the next steps.

Dr. Nirmal Veeramachaneni, professor of cardiothoracic surgery at St. Louis University School of Medicine and medical director for lung cancer screening at SSM Health, who is not involved in the pope’s care, said in an interview with OSV News that it would typically take a week to get all of the biopsy results back.

Pope to remain at hospital as he recovers from surgery

The pope’s doctors Oct. 14 statement is the first update from the Vatican on the pope’s medical condition since the pope’s surgery ended with the revelation from his doctors that the “examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the preoperative tests.”

Adenocarcinoma of the lung is the most common form of lung cancer in the United States. It represents about 40% of all lung cancers, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America. 

The right lower lobe of the lung, which Pope Leo had removed, is the largest of the three lobes in the right lung. Located in the posterior and inferior part of the right chest cavity, it contributes roughly 30% of total lung capacity, making it the single largest lung lobe, according to the Baylor College of Medicine.

Pope Leo is expected to remain in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital as he recovers from surgery for at least one week. The Vatican has canceled all of the pope’s scheduled audiences through Oct. 20.

No changes to scheduled trip so far

Bruni said that there were no changes to announce at this time to the pope’s expected length of stay in the hospital or to the pope’s scheduled trip to Latin America Nov. 6-17. He said that Pope Leo XIV had “manifested his intention” to travel to Peru and “that’s still there.”

The previously published schedule for the 12-day trip to South America indicated that he would travel more than 19,000 miles on 14 flights during a November trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, which includes stops high in the Andes mountains. 

Peru’s President Keiko Fujimori said the country received the news of the pontiff’s diagnosis “with deep sadness” and asked God “to care for him, to give him strength, and allow us to see him soon recovered.”

“Holy Father, this land, which is also your home, embraces you with immense affection. Today it is our turn to accompany you with our prayers, just as you have so many times accompanied us with yours,” she wrote. 

Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.

The post Pope Leo XIV starts respiratory physical therapy a day after lung cancer surgery first appeared on OSV News.

Pope Leo XIV underwent more medical exams and started respiratory physical therapy on Oct. 14, the day after the lung cancer surgery that removed the lower lobe of the pope's right lung.

In the first medical update provided by the Vatican since the late-night revelation of the pope's lung cancer diagnosis, the pope's doctors said Wednesday that the pope's "recovery is proceeding as expected" and the pope has begun walking around his hospital room.

"This morning, the Holy Father underwent the blood tests and chest X-ray scheduled following the surgery. The results confirm a normal postoperative recovery: the values are within the normal range for the type of surgery performed," the joint statement by Dr. Stefano Margaritora, the pope's surgeon, and Dr. Luigi Carbone, the pope's personal doctor, said.

"The Holy Father underwent respiratory physical therapy and has begun walking around his room. He has resumed his regular diet, having had breakfast and lunch. His recovery is proceeding as expected."

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists that Pope Leo was "in good spirits" the day after surgery. Bruni told journalists that before having surgery, Pope Leo had undergone a robotic bronchoscopy with biopsy, a chest CT scan with contrast, and a PET scan which indicated the need for the Oct. 13 surgery.

Pope Leo was admitted to Gemelli Hospital Oct. 13 for the lung surgery, following the pope's Oct. 11 disclosure that recent medical examinations had revealed a "well-contained" lung nodule that had been "detected at a very early stage."

According to Vatican News, post-operation tests will be conducted on the removed tissue in the coming days.

In response to a question of how long the wait might be to receive any results as to whether cancer remains beyond what was removed during the pope's surgery, Bruni said, "You have to ask a doctor for the timing of those. It usually takes five, 10, 15 days depending on the situation."

Speaking with OSV News, medical experts indicated that a potential analysis of the pope's lymph nodes could be key to evaluating the next steps.

Dr. Nirmal Veeramachaneni, professor of cardiothoracic surgery at St. Louis University School of Medicine and medical director for lung cancer screening at SSM Health -- who is not involved in the pope's care -- said in an interview with OSV News that it would typically take a week to get all of the biopsy results back.

The pope's doctors Oct. 14 statement is the first update from the Vatican on the pope's medical condition since the pope's surgery ended with the revelation from his doctors that the "examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the preoperative tests."

Adenocarcinoma of the lung is the most common form of lung cancer in the United States. It represents about 40% of all lung cancers, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.

The right lower lobe of the lung, which Pope Leo had removed, is the largest of the three lobes in the right lung. Located in the posterior and inferior part of the right chest cavity, it contributes roughly 30% of total lung capacity, making it the single largest lung lobe, according to the Baylor College of Medicine.

Pope Leo is expected to remain in Rome's Gemelli Hospital as he recovers from surgery for at least one week. The Vatican has canceled all of the pope's scheduled audiences through Oct. 20.

Bruni said that there were no changes to announce at this time to the pope's expected length of stay in the hospital or to the pope's scheduled trip to Latin America Nov. 6-17. He said that Pope Leo XIV had "manifested his intention" to travel to Peru and "that's still there."

The previously published schedule for the 12-day trip to South America indicated that he would travel more than 19,000 miles on 14 flights during a November trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, which includes stops high in the Andes mountains.

Peru's President Keiko Fujimori said the country received the news of the pontiff's diagnosis "with deep sadness" and asked God "to care for him, to give him strength, and allow us to see him soon recovered."

"Holy Father, this land, which is also your home, embraces you with immense affection. Today it is our turn to accompany you with our prayers, just as you have so many times accompanied us with yours," she wrote.

The post Pope Leo begins respiratory therapy, recovering 'as expected' day after lung surgery first appeared on Angelus News.

After a surgery on Tuesday in which the lower lobe of his right lung was removed, Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer. Dr. Luis Ráez, a prominent oncologist, explained in an interview with EWTN News what pulmonary adenocarcinoma is and what factors will determine the Holy Father’s next medical steps.

Ráez, who is not treating the pope, serves as the medical director and head of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the Memorial Cancer Institute in Florida.

The Vatican reported that the pope had “the lower lobe of the right lung removed using a video-assisted technique. The intraoperative histological examination has confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as was suspected from the preoperative tests.”

The most common lung tumor

“The Holy Father remained in the operating room for approximately 3 hours; the duration of the surgery was approximately 90 minutes. The surgery was a success and there were no complications,” the Holy See added.

Ráez explained that adenocarcinoma “is the most common tumor in the lung” and noted that “in general, lung cancers are more aggressive than those of the prostate or breast.”

However, he clarified that seriousness is not defined solely by the type of cancer, but that “the prognosis depends on the stage, that is, the size of the tumor and how far it has spread.”

‘Stage one or stage two’

The pope said during the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Oct. 11, that a nodule on his lung was detected “at a very early stage” and was “well localized.” Ráez speculated that the decision to operate could confirm that the cancer is not at an advanced stage.

“We assume that is the case because they subjected him to surgery. If it were metastatic, for example, stage three or stage four, which are advanced, most likely they would not have operated on him. An operation usually implies stage one or stage two,” he said.

Asked what will determine whether removal of part of the lung is sufficient or whether additional treatment will be required, Ráez highlighted the importance of the tumor size and the absence of metastases.

“If the tumor is larger than four centimeters, the surgery will not be enough and chemotherapy will be necessary. If the tumor is smaller than four centimeters, the surgery is sufficient and nothing else is done. A patient then moves to an observation phase with check-ups every six months,” he explained.

The recovery process

Regarding the chances of a cure, Ráez noted that, under optimal conditions and with a tumor smaller than four centimeters, the figures are favorable: “The chance of cure for early-stage lung cancer is 80 to 90%; it is not total because the cancer can come back.”

Regarding the physical recovery of Pope Leo XIV, who is 71 years old, Ráez expressed a favorable short-term prognosis. “Since he is a healthy man, the most likely thing is that he will be fine” in a few weeks, he stated.

He added that this surgery usually requires a hospital stay of two or three days in the United States and considered that, in the pontiff’s case, more days of hospitalization may have been planned as a precaution.

Regarding medical follow-up after discharge, the specialist stressed that the protocol does not end when one leaves the hospital. “For the next five years, control CT scans must be done every six months, until one is sure that the cancer has not returned and that he has been cured,” said Ráez, who has more than two decades of experience in hematology and medical oncology.

The post What is pulmonary adenocarcinoma? Oncologist explains Pope Leo’s diagnosis first appeared on Angelus News.

After a surgery on Tuesday in which the lower lobe of his right lung was removed, Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer. Dr. Luis Ráez, a prominent oncologist, explained in an interview with EWTN News what pulmonary adenocarcinoma is and what factors will determine the Holy Father’s next medical steps.

Ráez, who is not treating the pope, serves as the medical director and head of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the Memorial Cancer Institute in Florida.

The Vatican reported that the pope had “the lower lobe of the right lung removed using a video-assisted technique. The intraoperative histological examination has confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as was suspected from the preoperative tests.”

The most common lung tumor

“The Holy Father remained in the operating room for approximately 3 hours; the duration of the surgery was approximately 90 minutes. The surgery was a success and there were no complications,” the Holy See added.

Ráez explained that adenocarcinoma “is the most common tumor in the lung” and noted that “in general, lung cancers are more aggressive than those of the prostate or breast.”

However, he clarified that seriousness is not defined solely by the type of cancer, but that “the prognosis depends on the stage, that is, the size of the tumor and how far it has spread.”

‘Stage one or stage two’

The pope said during the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Oct. 11, that a nodule on his lung was detected “at a very early stage” and was “well localized.” Ráez speculated that the decision to operate could confirm that the cancer is not at an advanced stage.

“We assume that is the case because they subjected him to surgery. If it were metastatic, for example, stage three or stage four, which are advanced, most likely they would not have operated on him. An operation usually implies stage one or stage two,” he said.

Asked what will determine whether removal of part of the lung is sufficient or whether additional treatment will be required, Ráez highlighted the importance of the tumor size and the absence of metastases.

“If the tumor is larger than four centimeters, the surgery will not be enough and chemotherapy will be necessary. If the tumor is smaller than four centimeters, the surgery is sufficient and nothing else is done. A patient then moves to an observation phase with check-ups every six months,” he explained.

The recovery process

Regarding the chances of a cure, Ráez noted that, under optimal conditions and with a tumor smaller than four centimeters, the figures are favorable: “The chance of cure for early-stage lung cancer is 80 to 90%; it is not total because the cancer can come back.”

Regarding the physical recovery of Pope Leo XIV, who is 71 years old, Ráez expressed a favorable short-term prognosis. “Since he is a healthy man, the most likely thing is that he will be fine” in a few weeks, he stated.

He added that this surgery usually requires a hospital stay of two or three days in the United States and considered that, in the pontiff’s case, more days of hospitalization may have been planned as a precaution.

Regarding medical follow-up after discharge, the specialist stressed that the protocol does not end when one leaves the hospital. “For the next five years, control CT scans must be done every six months, until one is sure that the cancer has not returned and that he has been cured,” said Ráez, who has more than two decades of experience in hematology and medical oncology.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.