Pope Leo Leads First Angelus after Surgery, Thousands Gather in St. Peter’s Square

Pope Leo XIV led the Angelus with thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, October 18, in his first public appearance after being discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital following surgery on his right lung, Vatican News reported. Reflecting on Christ’s words, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” the Pope said Jesus calls people “to be truthful, free from servile fear or hypocrisy, free to do good.”

Thousands of pilgrims and visitors gathered in the square to greet the Pope and join him for the weekly Marian devotion.

In his reflection before the Angelus, Pope Leo commented on “one of Jesus’ best-known sayings: ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’”

Jesus was responding to a question about taxes intended to trap him. But “the Teacher’s response,” the Pope said, “is astute, for it allows him to avoid the trap and exposes the hypocrisy of those who seek to put him to the test.”

Pope Leo explained the significance of the passage, saying, “In Jesus, we contemplate a God who is not afraid of history, but comes instead to dwell within it. His kingdom does not abolish human roles and responsibilities.”

Instead, the Pope continued, Jesus calls people “to live without compromise, free from selfish ambitions and unjust motives, seeking above all the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

The Pope also noted the hypocrisy of those in the Gospel who praised Jesus, “even though their intentions are far from good.”

Summing up his reflection, Pope Leo said, “This is precisely what it means to ‘render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s’: to be truthful, free from servile fear or hypocrisy, free to do good.”