ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Friday released the first images of Pope Leo XIV since his lung cancer surgeryshowing him celebrating mass, as doctors said tests confirmed “continued improvement” in his recovery.
The photos show Leo standing in front of the altar, dressed in green clothing, celebrating mass in a makeshift chapel that was set up for him at Gemelli Hospital. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Leo presided over the liturgy alone, distributing communion to medical staff and Vatican gendarmes present.
He also delivered a homily in which he thanked hospital staff “for the work they do every day caring for the sick in their frailty, and in particular for what they did for him,” Bruni said.
Bruni confirmed that Leo would deliver the traditional midday Angelus prayer on Sunday, but it was not clear whether he would do so from the hospital or back at the Vatican.
The Vatican had initially planned a week-long hospitalization and canceled its audiences until Tuesday. Bruni said the pope’s doctors would decide whether any changes were expected regarding his release date.
“His postoperative convalescence allows him to carry out his normal daily activities completely independently,” says a medical statement signed by Leo’s personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and the head of Gemelli’s thoracic surgery department, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.
Leo, 71, had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on October 13 after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The operation confirmed he had adenocarcinomathe most common type of lung cancer.
A signal of all systems going on a journey
Even though questions swirled about the future of Leo’s young pontificate, there were signs Friday that he were all systems working. The Vatican released the names of journalists accredited to travel with him on Leo’s plane during his Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Leo’s ability to make the trip has been in question since his diagnosis, and the Vatican can change plans at any time. But the release of the media list indicated that at least on an organizational level, the trip was happening.
In the shorter term, Vatican officials were developing possible scenarios for the Angelus on Sunday.
Members of the Vatican media were seen at Gemelli laying cables for a possible live broadcast. Such apparitions have often been a welcome confirmation of the well-being of a hospitalized pope.
But with Leo’s homily Friday thanking the hospital staff who cared for him, there might be little reason for him to stay if he was medically ready to be discharged.
Secretary of State suggests ‘adjustments’
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Friday that he understood Leon’s recovery was going well, “so we are happy.”
Parolin, who was considered a leading candidate in the conclave that elected Leo and was recently passed over for dean of the College of Cardinals, surprised some by suggesting Thursday that Leo’s pontificate itself may need to be “adjusted” because of cancer.
When asked Friday what he meant, Parolin said “adjust based on health,” at least “as far as this next trip,” he said.
Doctors are still waiting for the results of tests aimed at understanding the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether further treatment is needed.
Cancer Patients Send Greetings to Leo
Meanwhile, the Vatican on Friday released photos of some get well notes sent to Leo by patients at Gemelli’s pediatric oncology ward, located on the 10th floor, where past popes often went during their own hospitalizations.
One of them, 7-year-old Angelo, told Leo that he had been on the 10th floor for 36 days. “My mom and I pray for you every night. Get well soon,” he wrote, with little hearts at the bottom.
Giorgia, a college-age student, wrote to Leo in her native English, telling him that she had long enjoyed learning and practicing the language.
“When I heard about you and your situation on the news, I felt this a thousand times stronger, because in a way we are going through the same thing, and it made me feel closer to you,” she wrote. “I pray to God that we both get well and I ask you to pray for me too.”
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Associated Press visual journalist Trisha Thomas contributed to this report.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives AP support collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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