Pope Leo leads Sunday prayer days after returning from cancer surgery
Pope Leo has returned to the Vatican after his lung cancer surgery sent shock waves through the Catholic church. Chris Livesay reports on what the pontiff had to say during his Sunday service.
Pope Leo XIV has resumed his duties at the Vatican following surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his lung. During his first public appearance on Sunday, the 71-year-old pontiff addressed thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square from a window of his study in the Apostolic Palace. According to Qatar Tribune, the pope appeared outwardly healthy and spoke for approximately eight minutes in a firm voice.
The pope expressed gratitude to the doctors and staff at Gemelli Hospital and thanked the faithful for their prayers during his hospitalization. He stated that the experience made him feel close to those facing illness and infirmity, adding that he intends to gradually resume his activities now that the delicate phase of his recovery has passed.
The surgical procedure, which took place last Tuesday, involved the removal of the lower lobe of the pope's right lung. This followed an announcement made by the US-born pontiff one week earlier at the same location regarding the discovery of a nodule on his lung.
Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, Qatar Tribune, Japan Today, PBS NewsHour, KahawaTungu — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
