Pope Leo XIV celebrated mass on Friday at the Rome hospital where he is recuperating from lung cancer surgery, according to the first images released by the Vatican.
The photographs show the 71‑year‑old Chicago‑born pontiff in front of a makeshift altar on the 10th floor of the Gemelli hospital, wearing a green vestment.
He appears at ease and in good health in the two pictures, standing beside his private secretary, Peruvian priest Edgard Rimaycuna.
“He celebrated with the medical and nursing staff of Gemelli, some people who were present there, who were clearly off duty at that moment,” the Vatican press office said, adding that members of the police also joined.
“He thanked all the staff, doctors, nurses, orderlies, for their service and their closeness to people, for their care of people’s fragility, and in particular, evidently, for the care, attention, and treatment given to him in these days,” the press office said.
The pope is expected to lead the traditional Angelus prayer on Sunday, though a Vatican source did not confirm whether it would be from the hospital or the Vatican.
The Angelus prayer is traditionally recited by the pope each Sunday from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square, to crowds of faithful gathered below.
Good Recovery
Leo was admitted on Tuesday to Rome’s Gemelli hospital, north of the Vatican, where surgeons removed a cancerous tumour from his right lung.
Medical staff report that his recuperation is progressing normally, while further tests will determine the future course of his treatment.
Read moreWhat we know about Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer diagnosis
On Thursday, doctors said a chest X‑ray indicated “good recovery of the operated lung.”
On Friday, they reported that examinations showed “a steady improvement in his general condition.”
He is now reportedly carrying out “his normal daily activities completely independently.”
Test results to ascertain whether the cancer has spread are still pending.
“Morale is good, that’s obvious. And the recovery as well because the pope has been able to celebrate mass,” a Vatican source said.
Read more‘Amazing progress’ in lung cancer: Immunotherapy extends survival as mRNA vaccines offer hope
The press office has not provided a new estimate for his discharge, reiterating the original prognosis that his recovery would take about a week.
If Leo were to recite the Angelus from the Gemelli hospital window, it would follow previous papal precedents.
In February 2005, Pope John Paul II appeared at a hospital window while recuperating from flu‑related respiratory issues, with an aide reading the prayer.
Pope Francis, aged 84 at the time, also delivered the Sunday Angelus from a hospital window after colon surgery in July 2021, telling the assembled crowd, “I am glad to be able to keep the Sunday Angelus appointment, even here.”
Also on Friday, the Vatican released a selection of letters and drawings from children at the hospital, including a tree illustration “For Pope Leo” and a note from an 18‑year‑old girl: “Better days will come for the both of us.”
A seven‑year‑old named Angelo wrote that he too had been on the 10th floor of Gemelli for the past 36 days undergoing a head operation.
“My mother and I pray for you every night,” he wrote. “I hope you get well soon.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
