A day after Pope Leo XIV left the hospital following surgery to remove a tumor from his right lung, he made his first public appearance in St. Peter’s Square since the operation to give his weekly prayer and blessing to thousands of the faithful in Rome.
The pope, who left Gemelli Hospital on Saturday after being diagnosed with lung cancer, stepped into a window in the apostolic palace on Sunday at exactly noon and spoke in a firm, confident voice.
“I would like to thank everyone who has been praying for me these past few days,” Leo said, after giving his prayer. “I have truly felt your support — thank you!”
Leo’s appearance, less than 18 months after he emerged for the first time as a newly elected pope, represented a show of strength after he spent just five days in the hospital. The Vatican originally suggested he was likely to stay to recover for a full week. His private audiences remain suspended until Tuesday.
“This experience has made me feel a special closeness to all those who are battling illness and infirmity,” the pope said from the window on Sunday. He thanked the doctors and staff of Gemelli Hospital and said he would “gradually resume my activities.”
Exactly a week ago, the pope stunned followers when he used this same regular prayer and blessing to announce that he would undergo surgery to remove a small growth on his lung in the coming days. Two days later, the Vatican said he had lung cancer.
By resuming one of the most consistent events on his schedule so quickly, Leo, the first pontiff from the United States, appeared to want to demonstrate that his illness is, for now, a minor setback.
Neither the Vatican nor the pope’s doctors have released the results of additional tests that could determine whether the pope needs further treatment, including chemotherapy.
In the past, papal appearances at St. Peter’s have been scrutinized for indications of the pontiff’s health. Just a day before Pope Francis died, he blessed the faithful who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square for Easter Mass. He appeared in a wheelchair and spoke a few words in a raspy voice, deferring to a Vatican aide to read his full papal address.
On Sunday, Leo seemed sure and stable as he appeared alone at the window of the apostolic palace. He waved to the crowd and did not appear to have any trouble getting through his remarks.
The Vatican has also indicated that, for now, Leo will proceed with a planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The trip remains on the official Vatican website, although some officials have said the agenda for the trip could change depending on the speed of the pope’s recovery.
In an interview published on Sunday with Vatican News, the official Vatican news site, Professor Stefano Margaritora, one of the pope’s doctors who operated on him, said there were “no clinical reasons why this visit should not take place.”
Leo was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer. Although many new therapies have been developed for the disease, survival rates vary greatly depending on the stage of the cancer and a patient’s general health.
Leo, who had no other reported medical problems, is known to play tennis regularly, and on a recent trip to France, he appeared healthy while maintaining an intense schedule of public events.
Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting.
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