Pope Leo XIV recited the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square on Sunday, October 18, his first public engagement since undergoing surgery to remove a portion of his right lung, according to accounts carried by major outlets including ABC News, the New York Post and NEWSMAX.
The seventy-one-year-old pontiff was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic on Saturday, four days after a ninety-minute operation to remove a nodule on his lung that was later confirmed to be cancerous. According to ABC News correspondent Lama Hasan's report, the pope left the hospital walking unaided, smiling and waving to the crowd, and stopped to speak with well-wishers before entering a car for the short drive back to Vatican City.
The New York Post posted video of the Sunday prayer service, which it described as the pope's first public engagement since the surgery. In remarks delivered from the Vatican and translated into English, the pope thanked those who had supported him during his recovery, saying he wished to express gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff of the Gemelli Polyclinic. "This experience has made me try, in particular, the vicinity to how many people are sick and in a condition of illness," the translation reads. "I have overcome this delicate phase, as you know, now I will take back my activities, always with the help of God and of your prayers."
ABC News reported similar remarks in its own translation, quoting the pope saying he wished to thank "all those who have prayed for me these past few days" and that he had "truly felt your support." The network's report also noted the pope said he would "gradually resume" his activities "always with God's help and your prayers."
NEWSMAX reported that Catholic faithful converged on St. Peter's Square on Sunday to welcome the pope back to the Vatican following the surgery, describing the gathering as a show of support for the pontiff as he returned to his traditional Sunday routine.
The doctor who performed the operation offered new details on the pope's condition, according to ABC News. The surgeon said the malignant lung tumor was discovered by accident during a routine abdominal investigation, and that if the spot had been situated slightly higher in the lung, those tests would have missed it. The doctor also reported that the pope's blood test results are completely normal and his heart function is fine, describing the Holy Father as having poured his heart and soul into his recovery and calling him an ideal patient.
Questions had surrounded the pope's upcoming travel schedule following the surgery. His schedule was canceled through Tuesday, and there had been uncertainty about whether he would be able to fly to South America for a trip visiting ten cities in eleven days. According to ABC News, the pope's doctor has now said there are no clinical reasons why the visit should not take place, and the trip appears to be proceeding as planned.
ABC News noted that the doctor did not discuss whether the pope would require further treatment, but that he expressed satisfaction with the pope's progress. The network characterized the update as reassuring.
The reactions spread quickly across major outlets. The New York Post, which has roughly four million followers, carried video of the Angelus remarks. NEWSMAX, which has nearly four million followers, reported the crowds gathering at St. Peter's Square to welcome the pope back. ABC News, which has more than eighteen million followers, led its coverage with the doctor's assessment and the status of the South America trip.
Other coverage of the same subject described the pope as being welcomed back as he delivered the Angelus prayer days after the surgery, and noted his appearance came at the same spot in the Vatican where he had previously announced he was going in for an operation. Vatican News reported that in his first public event following the surgery, the pope reflected on the biblical phrase regarding rendering unto Caesar.
Next News Network could not independently verify the details of the pope's medical condition or recovery that were reported by the outlets carrying this story.
Our Take
The speed with which the Vatican returned Pope Leo XIV to public view is being presented as a sign of resilience, and the doctor's comments about normal blood work and heart function will be greeted by many Catholics as welcome news. But the reporting also makes clear how much remains unanswered. The surgeon declined to address whether further treatment will be needed, and the decision to send a seventy-one-year-old recovering from lung surgery on an eleven-day, ten-city tour of South America deserves more scrutiny than a single line about there being no clinical reason to cancel. The faithful who gathered in St. Peter's Square were responding to a man who, by his own account, has just been through a delicate phase, and the Vatican's scheduling choices should reflect the caution that recovery requires. The American public has watched for years as institutions announce normalcy before the facts catch up. A pope's health is not a political matter, but the handling of it is a matter of transparency, and the questions about further treatment should be answered plainly rather than deferred.
