Cardinal Pietro Parolin says a possible Sunday noontime Angelus recitation from Gemelli hospital depends on Pope Leo XIV’s post-operative recovery.
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The Vatican has stopped issuing morning updates confirming Pope Leo XIV had woken up and had breakfast, as his recovery from lung surgery continues and officials consider whether he could appear for the traditional Sunday noontime Angelus prayer.
In the near term, Vatican officials were planning possible scenarios for Leo to recite the Angelus on Sunday, and Vatican media personnel were seen at Rome’s Gemelli hospital setting up equipment for a potential live broadcast.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said a recitation of the noontime prayer from the hospital was a possibility, but would depend on Leo’s recovery.
Parolin said he remained concerned about the pope and also described his surprise at learning Leo needed surgery.
Speaking Thursday on the sidelines of a diplomatic event, Parolin said there can be no predictions about Leo’s timeline and that plans would depend on what doctors determine. “We can’t make any type of predictions,” he said, adding: “The question now is when he will return, under what circumstances he will return, and what the doctors say. And based on all these factors, the pope will then adjust his pontificate, if it needs to be adjusted.”
Leo, 71, had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed adenocarcinoma, described as the most common type of lung cancer.
On Thursday, the pope resumed working from his hospital room and met with his chief of staff while continuing respiratory physiotherapy. His doctors said tests showed his lung had recovered well from surgery, other post-operative tests were in the norm, and overall recovery was proceeding as expected.
Doctors are still awaiting results to determine the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the removed lobe, and whether further treatment may be necessary.
On Friday, the Vatican released photos of get-well notes sent to Leo by patients at Gemelli’s pediatric oncology ward on the 10th floor, including messages from a 7-year-old boy and a university-aged student who wrote in his native English.
In one note, 7-year-old Angelo said he had been on the 10th floor for 36 days and wrote: “My mother and I pray for you every night. Get well soon,” with small hearts at the bottom.
Another note from Giorgia, a university student, said learning and practicing English had been meaningful to her for years and that she felt her own situation became harder when she heard of Leo’s condition. “I pray to God that we both heal and I ask you to pray for me, too.”
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