Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in hospital and speaks with Putin as recovery from lung surgery continues

Pope Leo XIV held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and led Mass in a hospital chapel on Friday, signs that the 71-year-old pontiff is recovering from lung cancer surgery and keeping up with his duties, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Vatican issued the first photographs of the American-born pope since his operation. CBS Philadelphia reported that the images show him on his feet before the altar, dressed in green, inside a small chapel at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said Leo led the service by himself, gave Communion to medical workers and Vatican gendarmes, and devoted his homily to thanking staff for tending to the sick and to him.

The Inquirer reported that surgeons took out the bottom section of the pope's right lung on Oct. 13 after finding a nodule suspected to be cancerous. The procedure confirmed adenocarcinoma, the most frequently seen form of the disease, the paper said. Further tests are pending to learn the tumor's genetic makeup, whether it extended past that part of the lung and whether additional treatment will be required, according to the Inquirer.

A Friday update from papal physician Luigi Carbone and Gemelli thoracic surgery chief Stefano Margaritora said blood work and a chest X-ray pointed to ongoing improvement and that breathing therapy was continuing, 6abc reported. "His post-operative recovery allows him to carry out his normal daily activities completely on his own," the doctors wrote, as quoted by CBS Philadelphia and the Inquirer.

On the call, the Vatican said, Leo raised alarm about humanitarian conditions in Oleshky, a town in Ukraine's Kherson region, and pressed for a ceasefire so aid could reach residents and civilians could leave safely. The Kremlin's version, cited by the Inquirer, said Putin held Kyiv responsible for the situation, supported Vatican efforts to protect locals and get supplies through, and agreed the two sides would coordinate.

Leo also received two senior cardinals, Luis Antonio Tagle, dean of the College of Cardinals, and Baldassare Reina, his vicar for Rome. Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters he had heard the recovery was on track, "so we're happy," the Inquirer reported. After suggesting Thursday that the pontificate might need adjusting, Parolin said Friday he was referring to changes tied to the pope's health, at least for the coming trip.

The pope is set to lead the Sunday Angelus prayer. CBS Philadelphia called it his first public appearance, while the Inquirer and 6abc said officials had not settled whether he would speak from the hospital or the Vatican. CBS Philadelphia said he is expected to remain hospitalized until Oct. 20; the Inquirer said his doctors would determine any change to that timeline.

Both CBS Philadelphia and the Inquirer reported that the Vatican published its roster of reporters approved to travel with Leo to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from Nov. 6 to 17, suggesting planning is moving forward, though the schedule could still be altered.

Compiled by True News from reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer, CBS Philadelphia and 6abc Action News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/164