Pope holds phone call with Putin during hospital recovery

Pope Leo XIV has held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Vatican said, as the pope continues to recover in hospital after undergoing surgery for lung cancer.

The Vatican said the pope is showing "steady improvement" following Tuesday's surgery.

During the call with Mr Putin, the American pontiff expressed "deep concern" for the humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky.

Pope Leo urged Mr Putin for a truce to allow the entry of first aid and food supplies into the town, the Vatican said, and to permit a voluntary evacuation of the civilian population.

The call with Mr Putin came after the Vatican said that the pope is now able to do normal daily activities with full autonomy.

The pope will make his first public appearance since his hospitalisation on Sunday to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer, while preparations continue for his planned November trip to South America, the Vatican said.

The pope was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. Doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in an operation on Tuesday.

The Vatican has released the first images of the pope since his surgery, showing him celebrating Mass and standing unaided.

The images showed the 71-year-old Chicago-born pope in front of a makeshift altar in a room on the 10th floor of the Rome hospital, dressed in a green vestment.

"At the moment, we have not received any communication from the doctors regarding his discharge, other than what we were told from the beginning about a one-week timeframe," a Vatican spokesman said.

Pope Leo, 71, is due to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November.

Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori had speculated that the trip might have to be delayed, but in a sign that preparations were carrying on as normal, the Vatican released a list of journalists admitted to cover the visit.

Work on the trip is "going forward," said the Vatican spokesman.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, said it was unclear when Leo would be able to return to his usual rhythm of appointments.

"The question now is when he will return, under what circumstances he will return, and what the doctors say," he said on the sidelines of an event in Rome, according to Italian agencies.

Following the latest health bulletin, Cardinal Parolin said a photo of the pope was an encouraging sign of his continued recovery, but reiterated that Leo may need to adjust his pace going forward "according to the condition of his health".

Additional reporting AFP