Pope Leo Leads Angelus, Grants Mission Indulgence
His first public appearance since lung surgery coincided with the 100th World Mission Sunday, celebrated under a theme of unity for evangelization.
On Sunday, October 18, Pope Leo XIV appeared at the window of the Apostolic Palace to lead the Angelus, his first public event since lung cancer surgery five days earlier at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.
Addressing the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father 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.” He thanked the doctors and nurses who treated him and all who sustained him with their prayers. He said his recovery remains stable and that he will resume his duties step by step.
Plenary Indulgence for World Mission Sunday
Through the Apostolic Penitentiary, Pope Leo XIV granted a plenary indulgence for the 100th World Mission Sunday. The faithful may gain the indulgence under the usual conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions. They may also pray the Rosary in union with the Holy Father for the spread of the Gospel.
The day’s theme, “One in Christ, United in Mission,” takes up the message the Pope issued in January, urging the Church to renew spiritual and fraternal unity so that evangelization may be effective. At the Angelus he prayed that the Church remain faithful to Christ’s mandate: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to all creation.”
Observed each year on the penultimate Sunday of October, World Mission Sunday calls Catholics everywhere to support the Church’s missionary work through prayer and sacrifice. Its centenary underscores the lasting charge to carry the Gospel to every people.
Pope Leo XIV’s return to the Vatican window offered a public sign of recovery and a fresh invitation to share in that missionary vocation, always with the help of God and the prayers of the faithful.