Pope Leo pictured for first time since cancer diagnosis as doctors issue health update | World | News

The first images of Pope Leo XIV since his lung cancer surgery have been released by the Vatican today, as doctors said that latest tests confirmed the “continued improvement” in his recovery. The news was shared on Friday by the Holy See Press Office. In the snaps, the Pontiff can be seen celebrating Mass at the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where he continued to receive the care of medical staff.

In the statement, Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora added that the Pope “underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray this morning, which confirmed the steady improvement in his overall condition.” The doctors also added that “respiratory physiotherapy sessions have continued,” noting that his “postoperative recovery allows him to carry out normal daily activities entirely independently.”

Photos shared today show the pope standing up at the altar in green vestments celebrating Mass in a makeshift chapel that has been set up for him in Gemelli hospital. In his homily, Leo thanked the hospital staff “for the work they do every day taking care of the sick in their fragility, and in a particular way what they had done for him,” a spokesperson said.

The photos also show get-well notes sent to Leo by patients at Gemelli’s pediatric oncology ward on the 10th floor, where past popes have often visited during their own hospitalisations. One, from 7-year-old Angelo, told Leo that he had been on the 10th floor for 36 days.

“My mother and I pray for you every night. Get well soon,” he wrote, with little hearts at the bottom. Giorgia, a university-aged student, wrote to Leo in his native English, saying she had long loved learning and practising the language.

The pope underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove a lung nodule, after which the Vatican announced the cancer diagnosis. In a statement shared by the Vatican, Professor Margaritora, who led the team operating on the pope, and Dr Carbone previously said: “To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique.”

On Wednesday, the Vatican said Pope Leo was “progressing as expected” and had spent a peaceful night in hospital. Pope Leo, 71, was transparent about his health and revealed his diagnosis during his Sunday Angelus address, saying that doctors had identified a small, localised nodule and announced plans for its removal.

It was then said that he required a hospital stay of around a week. The Vatican also cancelled all of Pope Leo’s scheduled public engagements through October 20. It did not announce any changes to the pope’s planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled to last from November 6 to 17.

The Gemelli hospital has a papal apartment that past popes used whenever needing hospitalisation, complete with a private chapel on the 10th floor.

But Leo XIV is staying in a nearby room, as the papal apartment is currently undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office.