World Church · October 19, 2026
Children Write to Pope Leo During Hospital Stay
Children who are patients in the pediatric oncology department of Agostino Gemelli University Hospital wrote letters to Pope Leo, who is staying in the same hospital, to express solidarity and wish him recovery. Sometimes, after a day full of treatments and perhaps discouragement, writing can feel tiring, while at other times the same steps spark enthusiasm because the recipient is Pope Leo.
Angelo, who is seven years old, comes from Taurisano in the province of Lecce and has been in the hospital for 36 days. He is on the tenth floor, as is the Pope, and has undergone an operation on his head. His letter, published by the Holy See Press Office, says that he and his mother pray for the Pope every evening and wish him a good recovery. The letter is accompanied by a drawing of a tree whose leaves are beginning to fall, a meadow, many flying birds, and above all a large yellow sun that stands out, as if it were driving away two clouds in the sky. That sun reflects the hope in Angelo's heart and in the hearts of many children who are determined to return to normality.
Eleonora's mother, Maria Graziela, grew up in an Italian-Chilean family, and her daughter is being treated in the neurosurgery and oncology department of the children's hospital. The little girl is now healthy, and Maria Graziela writes that faith moves mountains. She says that God heard their prayers through the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi, Our Lady of Fatima, and the Archangel Raphael. She entrusts the Bishop of Rome to God, the Holy Virgin, and the guardian angels, asking that they always protect him.
Giorgia, who is 18, writes in English because she has learned the language all her life. Her mature reflections describe a before and an after since the illness began, which took some of the carefree spirit from a young woman who had just come of age and who loves to travel. She enthusiastically mentions cities she has visited: Los Angeles, London, Dublin, and Granada. She says the illness changed her, for worse and for better, and that she sees physical changes in her body while also feeling that her way of thinking has changed. Things she once took for granted have now gained value. Her final thought is for Pope Leo: when she heard the news about him and his situation, she felt it a thousand times more intensely, because in a way they are going through the same thing, and that made her feel closer to him. She prays to God that both of them may recover, asks him to pray with her, and says that better days will come. She is sure that they are united in prayer, for themselves and for everyone in the same situation.