Pope Leo XIV may recite Sunday Angelus prayer from hospital as lung surgery recovery progresses well

Vatican officials are weighing whether Pope Leo XIV will appear via live broadcast on Sunday to deliver the traditional noontime Angelus prayer from his hospital room, after his post-operative recovery was described as progressing normally. Cardinal Pietro Parolin confirmed the possibility but said it would depend on how the 71-year-old pontiff continues to recover in the coming days. On Tuesday, surgeons removed the lower lobe of Leo's right lung after identifying a suspected cancerous nodule, a procedure that confirmed he has adenocarcinoma. The Vatican stopped issuing morning health bulletins on Friday, a sign doctors consider his condition stable enough to move beyond minute-by-minute updates.

X-rays taken after surgery 'showed good recovery', his medical team confirmed, and Leo has resumed physiotherapy covering a full range of physical activity.

Leo met his chief of staff on Thursday and has since been conducting work from his hospital room, a faster return to duties than many had anticipated.

Parolin said the pope will 'adjust his pontificate, if it needs to be adjusted' — the first public acknowledgement that Leo's cancer diagnosis could reshape his young papacy.