Pope Leo Calls Putin From Hospital Over Oleshky
Three days after lung surgery and a cancer diagnosis, Pope Leo XIV telephoned Vladimir Putin to express “deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation” in the occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, the Vatican said. He asked for a ceasefire to allow food and medicine in and civilians out. The first photographs since his operation show him celebrating Mass in the Gemelli Hospital.
Doctors report “a steady improvement in his general condition”, and the 71-year-old pontiff, whose right lower lobe was removed, is said to be carrying out his normal daily activities on his own. He is expected to stay in hospital until 20 October and to give the Angelus on Sunday. The Vatican has published the list of journalists accredited for his 6–17 November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, a signal that the journey is still going ahead. The call matters because the Holy See is one of the few channels still open between Moscow and the West on humanitarian questions; it “reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace”.