Pope Leo XIV’s recovery from lung surgery has progressed so normally that the Vatican on Friday stopped providing morning updates confirming he had woken up and had breakfast, even as questions continued about what his cancer means for the future of his young pontificate.
In the near term, Vatican officials were gaming out possible scenarios for Leo to recite the traditional Sunday noontime Angelus prayer. Vatican media personnel were seen at the Gemelli hospital laying cables for a possible live broadcast, as past popes have done when hospitalised.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said a recitation of the noontime prayer on Sunday from the hospital was a possibility, but would depend on how Leo’s post-operative recovery progresses. Such appearances have often served as a welcome confirmation of a hospitalised pope’s well-being for the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic faithful and others. Parolin said he remained concerned about the pope, but indicated that was also a function of his surprise at learning that Leo needed surgery.
“We can’t make any type of predictions,” Parolin said Thursday on the sidelines of a diplomatic event, according to the LaPresse and ANSA news agencies.