Pope Leo XIV Leads Sunday Angelus Days After Lung Cancer Surgery

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Key Points

  • Pope Leo XIV led the noon Angelus from a window of the Apostolic Palace on Sunday, Oct. 18, his first public event since lung cancer surgery.
  • He thanked everyone who prayed for him and the staff of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, and said he will “gradually resume” his activities.
  • Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung on Oct. 13, and tissue testing confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, his doctors said.
  • He left the hospital Saturday after blood tests and a chest X-ray; his audiences remain cancelled through Tuesday, Oct. 20.
  • His Nov. 6 to 17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is still on the calendar, and his surgeon sees “no clinical reasons” against it.

Pope Leo XIV returned to the window above St. Peter’s Square at noon on Sunday to lead the Angelus prayer, one day after leaving a Rome hospital where surgeons removed part of his right lung to treat cancer.

“I would like to thank all those who have prayed for me in recent days. I have truly sensed your support. Thank you!” the 71-year-old pope told the crowd, according to the Vatican’s official English text of his remarks.

What happened

Thousands of pilgrims and visitors filled the square for the weekly prayer, which began at noon in Rome, or 6 a.m. ET, Vatican News reported. The Associated Press said Leo spoke from the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace.

Before the prayer, he reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from Matthew, in which Jesus says: “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Living by those words, Leo said, means “to be truthful, free from servile fear or hypocrisy, free to do good.”

After the prayer, he marked the 100th World Mission Day. “Let us think of how much missionary history has unfolded over these one hundred years!” he said. Vatican News reported that he granted a plenary indulgence for the anniversary through the Apostolic Penitentiary.

He then turned to his health. “I wish to express my particular gratitude to the doctors, nurses and all the staff of the Gemelli Hospital,” he said, adding: “This experience has made me feel particularly close to all those who are living with illness or infirmity.”

He closed with a brief look ahead: “Now that I have overcome this delicate phase, as you know, I will gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers.” The full remarks are posted in the official Vatican text of the Oct. 18 Angelus.

Latest development

Sunday’s appearance followed a week of medical updates released by the Holy See Press Office.

What the Vatican has confirmed

  • Oct. 11: At that Sunday’s Angelus, Leo said recent tests had found “a small, localized nodule” in his lung that “was detected at a very early stage,” and that he had decided to have it removed on his doctors’ advice.
  • Oct. 13: At Gemelli University Hospital, surgeons used a video-assisted technique to remove the lower lobe of the right lung “to ensure a radical resection,” according to a statement from Dr. Luigi Carbone and Prof. Stefano Margaritora. A tissue exam during surgery confirmed lung adenocarcinoma. The operation lasted about 90 minutes, with no complications, Vatican News reported from the doctors’ bulletin.
  • Oct. 17: Blood tests and a chest X-ray that morning confirmed he could be discharged, his doctors said. He celebrated Mass at the hospital, thanked Margaritora and the medical team, and returned to the papal apartments that afternoon.

The press office had issued no new medical bulletin as of Sunday afternoon in Rome. Its only Sunday bulletin carried the text of the Angelus remarks.

What has not been disclosed

Vatican News said on Oct. 13 that further tests would be run on the removed tissue in the coming days. Those results have not been published in the Vatican statements reviewed by LiveNewsWorld, and the Vatican has not announced any further treatment, NPR reported. The Vatican has not released a cancer stage.

Why it matters

Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, became the first pope from the United States when he was elected on May 8, 2025.

Margaritora told Vatican News that, as far as he knew, no pope in modern history had been operated on for a malignant tumor before. He said the tumor was found by chance during routine abdominal exams, with no breathing symptoms, and urged people at risk to get regular lung checkups.

What happens next

The Prefecture of the Papal Household had cancelled the pope’s audiences through Tuesday, Oct. 20, Vatican News reported. The Vatican has not said which events he will resume first.

According to the Holy See Press Office program, Leo is scheduled to fly from Rome on Nov. 6 and visit Uruguay from Nov. 6 to 8, Argentina from Nov. 8 to 11 and Peru from Nov. 11 to 17. He spent years as a missionary in Peru.

“I think it takes a couple of weeks to make a truly complete physical recovery after this kind of operation,” Margaritora told Vatican News on Saturday. Asked about the long flight, he said: “I would say there are no clinical reasons why it should not take place.”

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