Trump Wishes Pope Leo Fast Recovery After Cancer Surgery

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he hoped Pope Leo XIV would recover quickly after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung, offering the pontiff his best wishes as he recuperated in hospital in Rome. “I want to see Pope Leo get well,” Trump told reporters in Bullhead City, Arizona. He said he wanted to wish the pope well and hoped he would “get better fast,” adding that cancer was serious. Trump also said he had heard the prognosis was good. The Vatican said Wednesday that the pope’s recovery was progressing as expected. He was out of bed, walking in his hospital room and eating normally, according to the Vatican’s account. The 71-year-old pontiff had surgery to remove part of his right lung on Tuesday. Pope Leo’s doctors said he was awaiting biopsy results to determine whether the cancer had spread. No result was provided in the accounts available Wednesday. The Vatican described the pope’s post-operative progress, while the biopsy is expected to establish whether the disease extends beyond the removed tumor. Trump also referred to a past conversation with the pope’s brother, Louis Prevost, whom he described as a friend.