As Pope Leo XIV continues his recovery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital following successful lung surgery, young patients in the hospital’s pediatric oncology and neurosurgery wards have sent him heartfelt letters and drawings. Released by the Holy See Press Office on Friday, the messages showcase moving words of encouragement and shared solidarity from children who are facing their own grave health struggles.
Among the young well-wishers is seven-year-old Angelo from Lecce, who has been hospitalized for over a month following head surgery. Writing from the same tenth floor of the hospital where the Holy Father is staying, Angelo offered his daily prayers alongside a drawing of birds soaring under a bright sun, wishing the Pontiff a swift recovery. Similarly, Eleonora, a young girl treated in the neurosurgery ward, shared a message alongside her mother Maria Graziela, reflecting on their family’s faith and the power of prayer. Citing their gratitude to Saint Francis of Assisi and Our Lady of Fatima after Eleonora regained her health, they reassured the Pope of their constant prayers, writing that “faith moves mountains.”
The outreach also included a poignant letter from 18-year-old Giorgia, who reflected on how illness had disrupted her dreams while instilling a deeper sense of gratitude and resilience. Expressing how deeply Pope Leo’s health struggles resonated with her own experience, Giorgia shared her conviction that good can be found even in hardship, offering a message of mutual strength: “Better days will come for the both of us… We are united in prayer.”