Pope Leo XIV received Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Vatican on Saturday, October 24, as the pontiff resumed official engagements while recovering from surgery for lung cancer.
Bartholomew offered his support and wishes for a speedy, complete recovery, according to the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s account of the meeting. Leo thanked him for his concern. The two church leaders also discussed matters affecting their churches and the wider world, the statement said.
The Vatican’s daily audience bulletin showed other audiences listed for Saturday included Archbishop Filippo Iannone and Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, and participants in a Jesus Youth international gathering.
Pope Leo’s recovery and the canceled Assisi visit
The meeting came a day after the Vatican announced that Leo would miss an October 27 peace gathering in Assisi on medical advice. His doctors recommended avoiding the planned helicopter journey because the operation was so recent, describing the decision as a precaution.
A scheduled chest X-ray showed that his recovery was progressing well, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora said in the statement reported by Vatican News. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung on October 13. On October 21, the doctors said subsequent tests showed that no further cancer treatment was necessary.
Leo left hospital on October 17 and returned to St. Peter’s Square for his weekly audience on October 21, Reuters reported.
He will send a message to the Assisi gathering, which runs October 25–27. Organized by the Sant’Egidio Community, the interreligious event marks 40 years since John Paul II convened the 1986 World Day of Prayer for Peace.
Bartholomew’s Rome visit
The patriarch arrived in Rome on October 23 for a visit that also included engagements focused on Orthodox-Catholic dialogue.
According to the Patriarchate’s itinerary, he received an honorary doctorate in theology at the Angelicum, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Cardinal Kurt Koch, who heads the Vatican’s department for Christian unity, delivered the tribute. Bartholomew spoke on synodality and communion in the Church.
Later that day, he visited Rome’s French Seminary, where he had lived during his studies. He preached in French at vespers and delivered a separate address examining progress toward full communion and the work still ahead.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
