Pope Leo's recovery

The Guardian -   Pope Leo told a crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square on Sunday that he would “gradually resume” his activities, at his first appearance before the faithful since undergoing an operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his lung.

The Catholic leader, 71, was greeted with applause as he appeared unaided at the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace to deliver his Sunday angelus. It was his first public appearance since making the shock announcement at the previous Sunday’s address that a small nodule had been found on his lung.

Leo was diagnosed with the most common kind of lung cancer – adenocarcinoma – on Tuesday, after doctors removed part of his right lung to extract the tumour.

He thanked those who had prayed for him in recent days, saying that he appreciated the support while adding that the experience had made him feel especially close “to all those who are going through illness or a state of infirmity”.

“Now that this delicate phase has passed … I will gradually resume ​my ​activities, always with ​the help of God and your ​prayers,” he said.

Leo left Gemelli hospital in Rome on Saturday, where doctors deemed him “fit for discharge” after undergoing blood tests and a chest X-ray that morning.

Doctors said on Wednesday that Leo’s recovery from the operation was progressing normally. They said they were waiting for the results of tests to determine whether the cancer had spread and if more treatment would be needed.