Pope Leo XIV greets crowds in first appearance since lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV greeted crowds in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, Oct. 18, in his first major public appearance since surgery for lung cancer, pledging to gradually resume his activities.

Some 15,000 Catholic faithful gathered in the square for the address at the Vatican, according to Al Jazeera. The 71-year-old pontiff, the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, spoke from a window overlooking the square and then retreated into his apartment in the Apostolic Palace.

He thanked the faithful for their prayers following his hospitalization. The brief appearance gave crowds their first extended public view of the pope since he entered hospital for the lung operation.

Leo had revealed a week earlier, during the traditional Angelus blessing, that a nodule had been found in his lung and would be surgically removed. He was treated at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in a procedure that lasted 90 minutes, according to Reuters.

The operation confirmed adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. As of Oct. 19, test results to determine whether the cancer had spread were still pending. Leo walked out of hospital four days after the surgery.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Leo may need to adjust the pace of his schedule according to his health condition. Surgeon Stefano Margaritora said there were no clinical reasons why Leo's planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November should not go ahead.