Pope appears in public after surgery, "looking good" and believers rejoiced

Roman Catholic Pope Leo XIV, who underwent surgery five days ago, made his first public appearance on the 18th. He appeared at a window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican to preside over regular Sunday noon prayers.

Roman Catholic Pope Leo XIV, who had undergone lung cancer resection just five days ago, appeared in front of a window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican with a smile on the 18th, and greeted the cheering and celebrating crowd in St. Peter's Square with a firm and clear voice.

This is the first public appearance of Pope Leo XIV, who is 71 years old and has only served as pope for 17 months, since he underwent surgery in Rome on the 13th to remove disease in the lower lobe of his right lung and was diagnosed with cancer.

With no one to support him, Leo XIV walked to the window of the Apostolic Palace on his own on the 18th and presided over the weekly Sunday noon prayer as usual. A good-looking Pope thanked people around the world for their prayers and said he would gradually resume his full duties as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion believers around the world.

Pope Leo XIV said that he would gradually resume his activities "with God's help and your prayers." The pope also encouraged believers who had been waiting in the square for a long time to abandon selfish ambitions and serve God "without reservation."

The crowd in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on the 18th excitedly raised their hands and cheered when they saw the pope appearing after just undergoing surgery.