Pope pictured for first time since surgery and cancer diagnosis

Pope Leo XIV, aged 71, was photographed celebrating Mass from his hospital room, marking the first images of him released by the Vatican following lung surgery. On Tuesday afternoon, the pontiff underwent the procedure at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which the Vatican declared successful and complication-free. The images, shared on Friday, depicted the Chicago-born Pope dressed in a green robe, standing behind a temporary altar on the tenth floor of the hospital.

Pope Leo reportedly celebrated with the medical and nursing staff, expressing gratitude to the workers for their service. Following the surgery, the Vatican shared that tests indicated a steady improvement in his overall condition and a good recovery of the operated lung, as evidenced by a chest X-ray. The entire lower lobe of the Pope's right lung was removed to ensure a radical procedure.

After the operation, Pope Leo awoke normally and transferred to his room after a short observation period, spending a peaceful night at the hospital. The pontiff initially announced the surgery during his Sunday prayers, informing the crowd that a "well-contained" nodule had been detected on his lung during a pre-operative examination.

While nodules are often non-cancerous, a medical team confirmed the presence of lung adenocarcinoma, the type of cancer the Pope was diagnosed with. The Vatican emphasized that the pontiff exhibited no symptoms of infection or illness prior to the surgery.