Pope Leo XIV made his first public appearance on Sunday, hours after the surgeon who operated on him described his post-surgery condition as "entirely satisfactory". The 71-year-old led the Angelus prayer at noon from a window of his official apartment overlooking St Peter's Square in the Vatican.
Surgeon reports positive recovery
Professor Stefano Margaritora, who operated on the pontiff on Tuesday, spoke to Vatican News as Pope Leo was discharged from the Gemelli hospital in Rome on Saturday. He said: "At the time of his discharge from the hospital, Pope Leo, 71, was in entirely satisfactory clinical condition. His blood test results were completely normal, and his heart function was fine."
"The lung's re-expansion after surgery is proceeding according to the usual timetable. So, overall, his condition is good," the surgeon added. He described the procedure as a "routine operation" involving the removal of the lower lobe of the right lung following the discovery of a "small spot" in the pontiff's chest.
Operation and diagnosis
The operation lasted around 90 minutes and has been previously described as successful by the medical team. Following the surgery, the Vatican announced a lung cancer diagnosis had been confirmed, after pre-operative tests had suggested he had adenocarcinoma.
The pope had announced last Sunday he would undergo surgery after a nodule was found. He was expected to recover in hospital for about a week but left just four days after the operation following blood tests and a chest X-ray.
Public appearance and well-wishers
Upon leaving the hospital on Saturday, the 71-year-old walked unaided to his car after smiling and stopping to speak to some well-wishers. The surgeon also said "there are no clinical reasons" for the pontiff not to undertake his lengthy trip to South America next month. Earlier this week, the Vatican had cleared the pope's diary until October 20, with no certainty whether he would be ready for a long official trip overseas.
The faithful gathered in St Peter's Square, eager to pray alongside the pope. Cosimo Mastrocinque, a retired factory worker visiting the Vatican from Puglia, expressed his happiness at the pope's presence, saying: "I don't believe it, because he was just operated on the other day. It is a miracle that he recovered already."
Claire Holland from Jacksonville, Florida, said she felt "very blessed" to be present for the pope's return to his flock. She added: "I'm so happy that he has recovered so quickly. I think there have been millions and millions of prayers. And he is a strong determined man, and I am so happy that he is feeling well enough to do this."
