The first photo of the Pope after his lung surgery

The Vatican said, on Friday, that Pope Leo XIV will perform the traditional Angelus prayers on Sunday, as he continues to recover from lung surgery. This will be the Pope's first public appearance since surgery to remove part of his lung earlier this week after a cancerous tumor was discovered.

In the latest statement issued by the Vatican, the press office stated that the Pope underwent, on Friday morning, blood tests and a chest X-ray, and the results confirmed a “steady improvement” in his health condition. The doctors supervising his treatment said that the Pope is continuing physical therapy sessions on the respiratory system, and they added that his recovery allows him to practice his usual daily activities independently.

The Vatican added that the 71-year-old Pope can now move and breathe completely independently. The results of the tests conducted after the surgery to confirm whether the Pope had completely recovered from cancer have not yet been announced.

The first public photos of the Pope since undergoing surgery were published. The pictures showed the Supreme Pontiff celebrating the Divine Mass on Friday afternoon.

According to the Vatican, during his sermon, the Pope thanked the workers at Gemili Hospital for their work in caring for him and other patients. An official spokesman for the Vatican said, on Thursday, in an update on the Pope’s health condition, that he practiced his “daily activities,” and the tests conducted after the surgery showed good results.