Rome, Oct 18. (dpa/GNA) – Pope Leo XIV has resumed his duties at the Vatican after lung cancer surgery.
At his first public appearance, the head of the Catholic Church was cheered by tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square.
Speaking the words “Dear brothers and sisters, have a nice Sunday!” he addressed the cheering faithful in the huge square from the window of his study on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace.
The pope appeared outwardly healthy and spoke for about eight minutes in a firm voice. Many people expressed their joy and relief at the apparently swift recovery of the 71-year-old.
Michelle Sutko, 70, from Chicago, the pope’s home city, told dpa that she hoped he recovered fully and would be pope for many years to come.
Leo thanked the doctors and staff of the Gemelli Hospital, where part of his lung containing a tumour had been removed last Tuesday. “Thank you for the support. I have felt close to those who are going through this illness,” the pope said.
He promised: “As soon as the delicate phase is over, I will gradually resume my activities, as always with the help of God and your prayers.”
Exactly one week earlier at the same spot, the US-born pope had announced that he would be having surgery.
On Tuesday, he then underwent a 90-minute operation. During the operation, the lower lobe of his right lung was removed because a malignant tumour had lodged there.
According to his doctors, Leo came through the operation well. It remains unclear whether the cancer has spread in his body.
The pope unexpectedly left the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he was operated on, already on Saturday. Until then, he had been expected to stay at least until Tuesday.
He was seen off with loud applause from the hospital’s staff, other patients and onlookers.
Asked how he was, he replied: “Much better, thank you.” A girl with cancer from Ukraine handed him a cloth doll, apparently meant to depict the pope.
When leaving the hospital, Leo appeared relaxed, smiling and waving. He was then driven in a black SUV back to his residence, where he spent the night after five days in the hospital. It is assumed that the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide will take it easy for a few more days.
However, planning continues for a South American trip next month, during which Leo also wants to visit his second home, Peru.
Before his discharge, the pope had his chest X-rayed again and gave blood. Afterwards, his doctors said he could go home “after evaluating the clinical picture.”
Surgeon Stefano Margaritora, who operated on him, later also gave the green light for the trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
He believes the pope will be “fully recovered in about 10 days.” “I would say there are no medical reasons why the trip should not take place,” Margaritora said. The attending doctors did not comment in detail on whether the pope is now cancer-free after the tumour was removed. This concerns whether the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body.
There was also no detailed information about further treatment. It is known that Leo is receiving respiratory therapy. His Argentinian predecessor Francis, who died in 2025, had also been missing part of a lung since his younger years.
On St Peter’s Square on Sunday, visitors from around the world expressed hope that Leo had overcome his illness.
Nanett Sommer, 48, from Hamburg said: “I think it’s good that he deals so openly with his illness and says that he has cancer. That’s rather unusual. I hope he can carry out his office for a long time.”
Even during his hospital stay, the pope had already again spoken up for the Ukrainian civilian population in need. In a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he called for a ceasefire for the front-line town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine.
The head of the Catholic Church had expressed in the call, his “deep concern” about the humanitarian situation in the small town in the Kherson region, which Russia has cut off for months, the Vatican had said on Friday. According to the Kremlin, however, Putin placed sole responsibility for the situation in Oleshky on Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia’s war in February 2022, the Vatican has repeatedly tried to mediate between the two sides, but without success.
At 71, Leo, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, is a relatively young pope.
GNA