Pope Speaks by Phone With Putin While Recovering in Hospital

A papal appeal to Moscow cut through the Vatican’s latest medical update as Pope Leo XIV, still recovering in hospital from lung cancer surgery, spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Holy See said.

The Vatican reported the pope is showing “steady improvement” after Tuesday’s operation.

In the call, the American pontiff voiced “deep concern” about the humanitarian conditions in Oleshky, a Ukrainian town under Russian occupation, according to the Vatican.

Pope Leo pressed Mr Putin to agree to a truce that would allow first aid and food to reach the town, the Vatican said, and to enable a voluntary evacuation of civilians.

The conversation came as the Vatican said the pope has regained the ability to carry out normal daily activities with full autonomy.

Officials also said Leo will make his first public appearance since his hospitalisation on Sunday, delivering the traditional Angelus prayer, while planning continues for his scheduled November trip to South America.

The pope was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. Doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung during Tuesday’s surgery.

The pope celebrated Mass for staff at the hospital (Photo: Vatican)

The Vatican has released the first images of the pope since the operation, showing him celebrating Mass and standing without assistance.

The photographs show the 71-year-old, Chicago-born pope before a makeshift altar in a room on the 10th floor of the Rome hospital, wearing a green vestment.

“At the moment, we have not received any communication from the doctors regarding his discharge, other than what we were told from the beginning about a one-week timeframe,” a Vatican spokesman said.

Pope Leo, 71, is scheduled to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November.

Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori had speculated the trip might need to be postponed, but in a sign preparations are proceeding normally, the Vatican released a list of journalists accredited to cover the visit.

Work on the trip is “going forward,” the Vatican spokesman said.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said it remains uncertain when Leo will be able to resume his usual pace of appointments.

“The question now is when he will return, under what circumstances he will return, and what the doctors say,” he said on the sidelines of an event in Rome, according to Italian agencies.

After the latest health bulletin, Cardinal Parolin said the new photograph was an encouraging marker of the pope’s continued recovery, while stressing Leo may have to moderate his schedule in future “according to the condition of his health”.

Additional reporting AFP