Vatican games out possible Sunday prayer appearance as Pope Leo recovers from lung surgery

ROME (AP) — 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 hospitalized.

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 hospitalized 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. “The question now is when he will return, under what circumstances he will return, and what the doctors say. And based on all these factors, the pope will then adjust his pontificate, if it needs to be adjusted,” he was quoted as saying.

The 71-year-old Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

On Thursday, the American pope resumed working from his hospital room and met with his chief of staff, while continuing with respiratory exercises. His doctors said overall his recovery was proceeding as expected.

Doctors are still awaiting the results of tests to understand the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether any further treatment is necessary.

AP visual journalist Trisha Thomas contributed.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A woman holds photos of Pope Leo XIV as she prays at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The moon rises behind the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where Pope Leo XIV is hospitalised, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where he's expected to be operated to remove a lung nodule. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

An image of Pope Leo XIV is seen under the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

An image of Pope Leo XIV is seen under the statue of late Pope St. John Paul II at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic where the pontiff is hospitalised, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in towns across the occupied West Bank during the olive harvest on Friday and set fire to cars and trees.

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked near a palace used by the country's internationally recognized government, killing five people and injuring others.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here.

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in multiple villages across the occupied West Bank on Friday and trees and cars on fire, according to local officials and emergency responders with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said six people were injured in two attacks it responded to in the town of Abu Falah outside Ramallah. A 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man were taken to a hospital after being beaten by settlers, the Red Crescent said.

Israel has imposed new rules on the olive harvest this year, prohibiting Palestinians from working in what’s known as Area C, which is under Israeli security control and encompasses the majority of the territory’s agricultural land.

At least four Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest season began earlier this month, according to Palestinian officials. They say thousands of trees have been damaged, costing farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Israel’s police and army did not immediately respond to questions about the attacks.

Attacks near a palace used by Yemen’s internationally recognized government killed at least five people and wounded more than a dozen, said government officials.

In a Facebook post late Thursday, Health Minister Qasem Buhaibeh said security guards and other employees at Maashiq palace in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden were among the casualties.

Aden has been the seat of Yemen’s government since 2015. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they targeted a military operations headquarters associated with Saudi forces that are backing the government.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

A supporter of Yemen's Houthi rebels carries his rifle during a rally in support of the group in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Palestinians walk among tents at a tent camp for displaced people in Gaza City, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian family harvest olives in a valley in the West Bank town of Birzeit, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli soldiers move toward a Palestinian man lying wounded on a road after they shot him following a settler attack on Palestinians harvesting olives in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli soldiers stand beside a wounded Palestinian man lying on a road after soldiers shot him following a settler attack on Palestinians harvesting olives in the occupied West Bank village of Abu Falah, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)