October 20, 2026
Pope Leo The 71-year-old head of the Catholic Church confirmed that he would gradually resume his activities after passing what he described as a “delicate stage.”
The Pope appeared from the window of the Apostolic Palace, motivated by his first public appearance, speaking normally and without any difficulty, and appearing to be in good health, just one day after leaving the “Gemelli” Hospital in Rome. The Pope spent a period of recovery in the hospital located north of the Vatican, following an operation he underwent last Tuesday, which included the removal of the cancerous tumor in addition to part of his right lung, before he left last Saturday after his doctors confirmed his eligibility for discharge.
The Pope, who heads a church that includes about 1.4 billion people around the world, thanked everyone who prayed for him, amid chants of “Long live the Pope!” That rose in the arena. As part of the recovery plan, it was announced that all of the Pope’s scheduled receptions until October 20 were canceled, with his activities gradually expanding based on the course of recovery and the results of medical examinations, during which the wait is still ongoing to find out whether the cancer has spread.
It is noteworthy that the Pope himself had announced to the crowds on October 11 that he was going to undergo the operation after the tumor was discovered at a “very early stage,” considering surgical intervention as the most appropriate option at that time. Despite his presence in the hospital, the Pope had resumed part of his political and diplomatic activities, as on Friday he made a phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to cease fire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshki, which is under Russian control.
