Leo XIV reappears at the Angelus and says he will gradually resume his activity
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After his hospital discharge, Pope Leo XIV reappeared this Sunday at the Angelus prayer in the Vatican, where he explained that, once past the stage of his lung surgery for a cancerous tumor, he will gradually resume his activities.
"Once this delicate stage is over, as you know, I will gradually resume my activities, always with the help of God and your prayers," said the 71-year-old pontiff after the Angelus prayer before the thousands of faithful who gathered in St. Peter's Square.
At noon, Leo XIV appeared at the window of his quarters in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, looking well, smiling and greeting the faithful, who gave him a loud ovation from the square: "Dear brothers and sisters, good Sunday!" were his first words before beginning the Angelus prayer.
"I Have Deeply Felt Your Support"
After the prayer, the pontiff shared some reflections, in a shorter address than is usually the case at these events, and he took the opportunity to thank all those who have prayed for him these days: "I have deeply felt your support. Thank you very much!"
He also dedicated special gratitude to the doctors, nurses and all the staff of the Gemelli Polyclinic, where last Tuesday he was operated on for an adenocarcinoma in his right lung and where he was admitted until yesterday, Saturday, recovering from the surgery.
"This experience has brought me especially close to those who suffer from illnesses and ailments," said Robert Prevost, whose reappearance at the Angelus lasted about eight minutes, including the prayer and the subsequent address.
Emotion of the Faithful in St. Peter's
In St. Peter's Square, the faithful experienced the pope's reappearance this Sunday with emotion and joy, according to testimonies gathered by EFE: "We thought we were not going to see him, we are happy because divine providence allowed it," said Cindy and Emilia, two Colombians who expressed their wish that the pope improve "and that we may have him for many more years."
"We have faith that everything will turn out well," said Patricia and Rose Esperanza, from California (USA), convinced, for whom seeing Leo XIV today has been "a dream."
Ernesto Villegas, a Venezuelan priest, also acknowledged that this Sunday's Angelus was one of great expectation and praised the pontiff's strength: "The pope has shown he is a man of action, he does not back down, he resumes his agenda and moves forward like a good shepherd who continues to give his life for his sheep," he told EFE.
Exactly one week ago, Leo XIV, at this same prayer, surprisingly announced to the whole world an imminent operation due to the detection of a nodule in a lung.
The operation took place two days later, on Tuesday afternoon, at the Gemelli hospital in Rome: the subsequent medical report informed of the removal of the lower lobe of the pope's right lung due to an adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer.
In the following days, Leo XIV had a favorable recovery and, at the time of his discharge, presented "absolutely satisfactory" clinical conditions, according to Stefano Margaritora, the surgeon who operated on him and who directs the Thoracic Surgery unit at Gemelli.
The pope's reappearance at the Angelus from the Vatican has also aroused expectation over the possibility that he might offer details about his treatment or about the trip to Argentina, Uruguay and Peru scheduled from November 6 to 17, although Robert Prevost has not referred to these topics.
Yesterday, Saturday, in an interview with Vatican media, his surgeon stated that the pope can undertake that apostolic visit: "I would say there are no clinical reasons why that trip cannot be made," said Dr. Margaritora.
On this first Latin American tour of Leo XIV's pontificate, up to 14 flights, more than forty speeches and meetings, nine mass gatherings, as well as the visit to Cusco, a city located more than 3,000 meters above sea level, are planned. (Taken from Cubasi.cu)
