Overview
- Mastella announced he is ill while speaking at the Madonna delle Grazie Mass on Thursday, asking the congregation to pray as he fought back tears.
- He has begun medical treatment and told reporters that doctors say the tumour can be cured, though he still faces a decision between surgery and continued drug therapy.
- The revelation prompted an immediate wave of support from politicians and citizens, with messages from figures such as Pier Ferdinando Casini and Antonio Tajani.
- The mayor, 79, said the disease likely progressed for years before recent diagnosis and admitted he fears dying alone; some local political insiders had been privately aware of health concerns.
- Near term, attention will focus on his choice of treatment and how his recovery will affect the final months of his second mayoral term and public conversations about prevention and the human side of politics.