Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Gets Pope Francis’ Blessing for Cancer Patients, He Says

In the midst of his cancer treatment, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan received a blessing from Pope Francis on Thursday on behalf of all patients with the illness when they met Thursday.

"It was an incredible honor to meet His Holiness Pope Francis today in Washington and receive his blessings on behalf of all cancer patients," Hogan said in a statement. "My faith, like the faith of countless other patients like me, gives me strength to defeat this disease, and continue to be the best public steward I can be for the people of this great state."

Hogan said he was inspired by the pope's words this week, writing, "He said that 'Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people.' Working to make people's lives better is something I can understand and will continue to put to work in my administration as well as my life."

On Facebook earlier this week, Hogan extended a welcome to Pope Francis, which included a photo showing the pope and the Obama family meeting a group of children after he landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday. Francis is on a six-day trip through the U.S. The first leg of his trip, in Washington, D.C., wraps up Thursday.

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As Governor of Maryland, I would like to warmly welcome the Holy Father Pope Francis to Maryland to begin his first-ever...
Posted by Larry Hogan on Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Hogan was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June.

"I won't just beat this disease, I will fight it and beat it and be a stronger governor when we get to the other side," he said when he announced the diagnosis.