Pope pledges gradual return to duties in first Vatican event since cancer surgery

Pope Leo told a crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square on Sunday that he would “gradually resume” his activities, at his first appearance before the faithful since undergoing an operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his lung.

The Catholic leader, 71, was greeted with applause as he appeared unaided at the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace to deliver his Sunday angelus. It was his first public appearance since making the shock announcement at the previous Sunday’s address that a small nodule had been found on his lung.

Leo was diagnosed with the most common kind of lung cancer – adenocarcinoma – on Tuesday, after doctors removed part of his right lung to extract the tumour.

He thanked those who had prayed for him in recent days, saying that he appreciated the support while adding that the experience had made him feel especially close “to all those who are going through illness or a state of infirmity”.

“Now that this delicate phase has passed … I will gradually resume ​my ​activities, always with ​the help of God and your ​prayers,” he said.

Leo left Gemelli hospital in Rome on Saturday, where doctors deemed him “fit for discharge” after undergoing blood tests and a chest X-ray that morning.

Doctors said on Wednesday that Leo’s recovery from the operation was progressing normally. They said they were waiting for the results of tests to determine whether the cancer had spread and if more treatment would be needed.

The Vatican had originally estimated a week-long stay in hospital.

The pope undertook some work duties in hospital, including making a phone call on Friday to Vladimir Putin, during which he urged the Russian president to call a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.

There have been questions over whether Leo would be able to manage a gruelling 12-day trip to South America in November. However, his surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, said on Saturday that there were “no clinical reasons” to prevent him from travelling.

“The Holy Father has put his heart and soul into his recovery,” Margaritora told Vatican News, adding that he expected the pope to fully recover from the operation “in another 10 days or so”.

Before the cancer diagnosis, Leo, who enjoys sports, especially tennis, was generally believed to be in good health. He often makes use of the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo, close to Rome.

The Gemelli, located in the north-west of the Italian capital, is renowned for treating reigning popes. Pope John Paul II stayed there so many times that the Vatican worked with the hospital to establish a high-security papal suite.