Pope Leo XIV offers Mass

Pope Leo XIV offered Mass from Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Oct. 16 while recovering from surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. Doctors performed the procedure on Oct. 13 after finding cancer in the lung.

The 71-year-old pope is undergoing respiratory physical therapy, though doctors stated his recovery is proceeding as expected and he returned to a regular diet the day after his surgery. On the same day he offered Mass, the pope also called Russian President Vladimir Putin to request a ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

While the pope recovers in Rome, his oldest brother, Louis Prevost, is receiving treatment for multiple myeloma in a Florida hospital. Prevost, 75, was diagnosed with the blood cancer in 2017, and his condition recently became more active after several years of low activity.