After his cancer operation, Leo XIV is back in the Vatican. He looked fit during the Angelus prayer in front of tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square. But there is still no all-clear. What do the next few weeks look like?
The Pope is back in the Vatican after his cancer surgery and said the Sunday Angelus prayer.
Rome. Pope Leo XIV has resumed his duties at the Vatican following his lung cancer operation. At his first public appearance, the head of the Catholic Church was cheered by tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square. With the words “Dear brothers and sisters, have a nice Sunday!” he addressed the cheering believers in the huge square from the window of his study on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace. The Pope appeared healthy on the outside and spoke in a firm voice for around eight minutes.
Many of the believers expressed their joy and relief at the 71-year-old's apparently quick recovery. “I hope that he will recover completely and be our shepherd for many years to come,” said Michelle Sutko (70) from Chicago, the pope’s hometown, to dpa.
Pope thanks you
Leo thanked the doctors and staff at the Gemelli Clinic, where part of his lung with a tumor was removed last Tuesday. “Thank you for the support, I felt close to those who are going through this illness,” the pope said. And he promised: “Once the delicate phase is overcome, I will gradually resume my activities, as always with the help of God and your prayers.”
Exactly a week earlier, the American native had made his illness public in the same place. He then had to undergo a 90-minute operation on Tuesday. The lower lobe of his right lung was removed because a malignant tumor had implanted there. According to his doctors, Leo survived the operation well. It is still unclear whether the cancer has spread throughout his body or not.
Planning for a trip to South America continues
The Pope was surprisingly able to leave the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he was operated on, on Saturday. Until then, he was expected to stay until at least Tuesday. He was greeted with much applause by the hospital staff, other patients and onlookers. When asked how he was doing, he replied: “Much better, thank you.” A Ukrainian girl suffering from cancer gave him a rag doll that was apparently intended to represent the Pope.
When he left the clinic, Leo seemed relaxed. He smiled and waved back a lot. He was then driven back to his apartment in a black SUV, where he spent the night after five days in the clinic. It is assumed that the head of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide will take it easy for a few more days. However, plans for a trip to South America next month, during which Leo also wants to visit his second home Peru, are continuing.
Surgeon believes a “full recovery” is possible soon
Before his release, the Pope had his chest x-rayed and blood taken again. His doctors then explained that “after evaluating the clinical picture” he could go home. The surgeon Stefano Margaritora, who operated on him, later gave the green light for the trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. He believes the Pope will be “fully recovered in about ten days.” “I would say that there are no medical reasons why the trip should not take place.”
However, the treating doctors did not comment in detail on whether the Pope was now cancer-free after the tumor was removed. The question is whether metastases have formed elsewhere in the body. There was also no further information about further treatment. It is known that Leo is receiving breathing therapy. His Argentine predecessor Francis, who died in 2025, was also missing part of his lungs from a young age.
Visitors to St. Peter's Square hope for a healthy Pope
In St. Peter's Square on Sunday, visitors from all over the world expressed hope that Leo had overcome his illness. Nanett Sommer (48) from Hamburg said: "I think it's good that he's so open about his illness and says that he has cancer. That's rather unusual. I hope that he can continue to carry out his duties for a long time."
Leo called Putin on the phone while he was still in the hospital
While he was still in the hospital, the Pope was already committed to helping the suffering civilian population in Ukraine. In a phone call with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, he called for a ceasefire in the frontline town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine.
The head of the Catholic Church expressed his “deep concern” in a phone call about the humanitarian situation in the small town in the Kherson region that has been sealed off by Russia for months, the Vatican announced on Friday. However, according to the Kremlin, Putin placed responsibility for the situation in Oleshky solely on Ukraine. The Vatican has tried several times to mediate between the two sides since the Russian war of aggression began in February 2022, but without success.
At 71, Leo – whose real name is Robert Francis Prevost – is a relatively young pope. That's why when he was elected a year and a half ago, many assumed that the American would determine the fate of the Catholic Church for a long time. Since then, he has drawn attention to himself through an encyclical – a teaching letter – on the subject of artificial intelligence. Controversies involving US President Donald Trump also made headlines around the world.
