Pope Leo XIV resumed public appearances on Sunday, leading prayers at the Vatican just five days after undergoing lung cancer surgery and one day after leaving the hospital.

“I would like to thank all those who have prayed for me in recent days. I have truly sensed your support. Thank you!,” Leo said from a balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

The Catholic leader, 71, announced his planned surgery last week to remove a “small, localized” nodular lesion on his right lung. During the 90-minute operation, doctors confirmed he had lung cancer but said the operation to remove a lower lobe of his lung was successful, according to the Vatican.

“This experience has made me feel particularly close to all those who are living with illness or infirmity,” Leo said. “Now that I have overcome this delicate phase, as you know, I will gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers.”

The surgery and cancer diagnosis marked Leo’s first major medical episode of his papacy. It is yet unclear whether the pope will require additional treatment.

His planned trip to Latin America next month, which includes visits to Uruguay, Peru and Argentina, remains unchanged as “there are no clinical reasons why this visit should not take place,” Professor Stefano Margaritora, the physician who operated on the pope’s lung, told Vatican News.

“The Holy Father has put his heart and soul into his recovery, as the most motivated people do after this kind of operation,” Margaritora said. “As a result, he needed very little assistance from us. His determination to recover quickly has been effective in every respect. It was truly commendable.”

Leo was elected last year following the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis. Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois, is the church’s first American pope.

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