Pope Leo XIV returned to St. Peter's Square on Wednesday in his open-air popemobile, waving to pilgrims and blessing babies as he held his first general audience at the Vatican since undergoing lung cancer surgery eight days ago, according to Reuters. The 71-year-old pontiff, who pledged on Sunday that he would slowly resume his duties as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, stood in the back of the vehicle as it drove through the square, stopping to talk to pilgrims and smiling under drizzling grey skies.
The audience, the first held by the pope since October 7, followed a normal format for the 50-minute event, Reuters reports. Crowds began gathering hours ahead of the 9:45 a.m. starting time, holding umbrellas as the rain fell. "The first thing I want to say to you is thank you for the support and prayers," Leo told the crowds in his opening remarks, speaking in a clear voice as cheers broke out across the square. "Thanks be to God for his generosity. Let's renew our trust in the goodness and mercy of God."
After touring the square, Leo offered a sermon in Italian. In the only major change from previous occasions, the AP notes, he gave brief greetings afterwards in seven instead of nine other languages. The pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed in surgery on October 13 and has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
The diagnosis stunned the Catholic world. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, was elected only in May 2025 and is the youngest pope in decades. His doctors have said the surgery was completed successfully and without complications, though they have not yet disclosed the size of the tumor or whether the disease had spread to nearby lymph nodes — key factors in determining his prognosis, according to Reuters. The Vatican has provided no indication of the pope's schedule beyond Wednesday.
Photo: Edgar Beltrán / The Pillar, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0