VATICAN CITY — The Vatican released the first photographs of Pope Leo XIV since his lung cancer operation on Friday, showing the pontiff standing at an altar and celebrating Mass inside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
The images, taken during a service in a hospital chapel, show the 71-year-old American-born pope dressed in green liturgical vestments. Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni said Leo presided over the liturgy, distributed Communion to attending Vatican gendarmes and hospital medical staff, and delivered a brief homily expressing gratitude for their care, according to CBS News.
Progress in Recovery
Surgeons removed the lower lobe of Leo’s right lung on Tuesday during an operation that lasted about 90 minutes, ABC News reported. Subsequent tissue analysis confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican stated. The pontiff has spent the days following the procedure recovering at Gemelli Hospital, where medical staff reported positive milestones.
A medical bulletin issued Friday by Dr. Luigi Carbone, Leo’s personal physician, and Dr. Stefano Margaritora, chief of thoracic surgery at the hospital, noted that chest X-rays and blood tests showed continued progress. The doctors stated that the pope’s post-operative recovery permits him to manage everyday tasks entirely on his own, Fox News reported.
Vatican officials confirmed that the pontiff intends to make his initial public appearance since the surgery on Sunday to lead the traditional midday Angelus prayer, Al Jazeera English reported. During previous hospital stays, pontiffs have recited the Sunday prayer from a balcony on the hospital’s 10th floor, though the Holy See has not officially specified the precise location for Sunday’s address.
Diplomatic Calls and Travel Preparations
Despite his convalescence, Leo began resuming light official duties on Thursday, including document review and meetings with senior church officials. On Friday, the pope held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Vatican and Kremlin officials.
The Vatican said Leo voiced serious concern regarding the humanitarian conditions in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city located in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region. The pope appealed for an immediate ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical aid, alongside the safe evacuation of residents, ABC News reported. The Kremlin confirmed the call, stating that Putin wished the pope a rapid recovery and agreed to coordinate humanitarian efforts.
Leo also received get-well cards from young patients in the hospital’s pediatric oncology department, including drawings and supportive messages from children enduring long-term stays, CBS News reported.
Questions remain over the pope’s upcoming foreign itinerary, including a planned tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru scheduled for Nov. 6 to 17. The Vatican indicated organizational work is moving ahead, releasing an official roster of accredited media members scheduled to accompany Leo on the papal flight, according to CBS News.
Physicians have not yet publicly shared details regarding the size of the removed tumor or whether additional oncology therapy will be required after Leo finishes his expected weeklong hospital stay.
