Chicago school students prepare care package for Pope Leo XIV

Vatican News

Students from a Catholic school in Pope Leo XIV’s hometown of Chicago are preparing a "care package" for him as he recovers in hospital following lung surgery.

Local media outlets reported on Wednesday that students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy were planning to send the Pope items including get-well cards and a Chicago White Sox blanket.

The students are part of Team 14, a group of some 40 students named after Pope Leo XIV. They went viral on social media after staging a mock conclave last year, and some of them subsequently travelled to Rome to meet the Pope.

They have also been organizing monthly prayer and service meetings, including food drives to help the less fortunate.

"It feels nice to wish [the Pope] well because he's like a close friend and I was really sad when I heard when he was sick," one 6th-grade student said, according to ABC7 Chicago.

"I was a little nervous for Pope Leo because I've met him and he has a big role and I want him to stay healthy," an 8th-grade student added.

Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday, during which doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung. 

The Holy See Press Office said in a statement on Wednesday that the Pope had undergone scheduled blood tests and chest X-ray, which confirmed that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally.