The Vatican has released the first images of Pope Leo XIV since his lung surgery. The 71-year-old pontiff is in Rome's Gemelli Hospital with a lung cancer diagnosis after surgery on Tuesday afternoon. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
The images shared on Friday showed the Chicago-born Pope wearing a green robe while standing behind a makeshift altar on the tenth floor of the hospital. Pope Leo "celebrated with the medical and nursing staff" and thanked workers for their service, the Vatican press office said.
The surgery on Tuesday afternoon was "successful" and proceeded without complications, the Vatican said. On Friday, the Pope's doctors said tests had shown "a steady improvement in his general condition" since his procedure. His doctors said that a chest X-ray indicated "good recovery of the operated lung".
The whole lower lobe of the Pope's right lung was removed "to ensure the procedure was radical", the Vatican said. "After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room," it said earlier. He spent a "peaceful night" at the hospital.
Pope Leo first announced that he would be having the operation during his weekly Sunday prayers. He told the crowd in St Peter's Square that doctors had found a "well-contained" nodule on his lung "at an early stage" and advised him to have it removed. Nodules are quite common and not necessarily cancerous, but after it was examined the medical team confirmed it was, "as suspected by pre-operative tests", the Vatican said. He was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma.
The Vatican has stressed that the Pope had shown no symptoms of infection or illness prior to the procedure. Pope Leo XIV is expected to remain at the hospital for about a week as he recovers.