Pope Leo XIV addressed thousands of people in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, smiling and stating that he would gradually resume his duties. This was his first major public appearance following surgery on his lungs for cancer.
The 71-year-old Pope underwent surgery on Tuesday at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where part of his right lung was removed, and he was discharged from the hospital on Saturday.
The leader of 1.4 billion Catholics thanked those gathered for their prayers, saying: 'I would like to thank all the people who prayed for me during these days.' He added that, having overcome this difficult stage, he would now gradually resume his activities, looking well and speaking normally.
When he appeared in the window of his Apostolic Palace for the traditional Angelus prayer and address, the square filled with cheers of 'Viva il papa!' People in the square welcomed the Pope's quick return.
Christopher Butler, a 68-year-old parish priest from Leeds in northern England, called Leo 'a great shepherd for the Catholic Church.' Butler noted that while he is concerned about the Pope needing time to fully recover, he is obviously a very resilient person striving to return to work to lead the Church and be a world leader.
Solead Espinosa, a 59-year-old resident of Ecuador, expressed joy that doctors would allow the Pope to visit Latin America next month. She stated: 'We all hope for his recovery and that he handled this situation well. We know he is fine, and we are happy.'
Norma Grasso, 76, from Argentina, simply said: 'We are waiting for him.'
Following the operation, there were doubts about the planned papal trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6–17, where Leo spent two decades as a missionary. However, his surgeon Stefano Margaritore told Vatican News that he sees 'no clinical reasons why the trip should not take place.'
The Pope's discharge on Saturday ended days of uncertainty that shook the Vatican and Catholics worldwide less than two years after the start of the pontificate of the Pope who came from Chicago. Margaritore stated that Leo is in 'absolutely satisfactory clinical condition,' predicting another ten days until full recovery.
Margaritore also told Vatican News that Leo's tumor was discovered incidentally during routine abdominal X-rays, which detected a 'small spot' at the base of his right lung. Although he called the lung surgery 'routine,' he highly praised the Pope's commitment to his recovery, noting that he 'truly put his heart and soul into it, like the most motivated patients.'
'His determination to achieve a very fast and very effective recovery in every sense was truly commendable,' Margaritore added. Results of tests determining whether the cancer has spread are still awaited.
Leo resumed some work by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to call for a ceasefire in the Russian-controlled city of Oleshko in Ukraine.