World 4 min read By Lauren Baxter
Pope Leo Appears in First Images Since Lung Surgery, Celebrates Mass at Gemelli Hospital
The Vatican released the first photographs of Pope Leo since his lung cancer surgery, showing the 71-year-old standing and celebrating Mass in a makeshift chapel on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital. He is set to lead the Angelus on Sunday in his first public appearance since treatment.
The Vatican has released the first images of Pope Leo since his lung cancer surgery, showing the 71-year-old pontiff standing and celebrating Mass in a makeshift hospital chapel. The photographs, distributed on Friday, mark the first visual confirmation of the pope's condition since he underwent the removal of part of his lung earlier in the week at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
Leo led the midday Mass with off-duty medical and nursing staff present, according to the Vatican. In his homily, the pope thanked the staff for their work caring for him and for other patients who are sick. The service took place in a room on the 10th floor of the hospital, where a suite of rooms is reserved for any pope admitted for medical treatment.
The Vatican press office described the pope's recovery as showing «steady improvement.» On Friday morning, Leo underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray. Doctors involved in his treatment said he is continuing respiratory physiotherapy sessions, and his recovery now allows him to carry out normal daily activities independently. The Vatican added that the 71-year-old is completely autonomous in movement and breathing.
Post-operative test results that would confirm whether the pope is completely cancer free, and what further treatment, if any, is needed, have not yet been released. The news of the diagnosis was met with shock inside the Vatican, where Leo is known as someone physically active and widely seen to be in good health.
The Vatican also announced that Pope Leo will recite the traditional Angelus prayers on Sunday, which will be his first public appearance since his treatment. His engagements have been cancelled until 20 October, and it remains unclear whether his planned trip to Latin America from 6 to 17 November will take place. Preparations for the visit are continuing, however, and on Friday the Vatican posted the list of journalists who would travel with the pope to report on the trip.
The release of the images and the update on the pope's condition come as the Vatican seeks to balance transparency about his health with the traditional discretion surrounding papal medical matters. The Gemelli Hospital, where the pope is recovering, is the same facility that has treated several pontiffs in recent decades and maintains a dedicated suite for papal admissions.
Leo's recovery is being closely watched by Catholics worldwide and by observers of the Vatican, given the pope's active schedule and the global responsibilities of his office. The Angelus on Sunday will offer the first opportunity for the public to see him since the surgery, and it will be followed in the coming days by further medical updates, according to the Vatican.
Doctors have not provided a timeline for the pope's discharge from the hospital, and the Vatican has not indicated when a decision on the Latin America trip will be made. For now, the focus remains on his physiotherapy and daily recovery, with the Vatican describing his progress as steady and his condition as improving.
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