Pope Leo XIV Cleared for Discharge Four Days After Lung Cancer Surgery

Pope Leo XIV will leave Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Saturday afternoon, four days after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed that a nodule was pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. Doctors cleared him for discharge after blood tests and a chest X-ray performed Saturday morning showed he was fit to return to the Vatican.

The 71-year-old pontiff was admitted on Tuesday. The operation lasted about ninety minutes and the full time in the operating room was roughly three hours. Surgeons removed the affected lobe after preoperative tests had indicated a possible malignancy. The Vatican stated that the surgery was successful and produced no complications.

On Thursday, doctors reported that a chest X-ray showed good recovery of the operated lung and that the pope’s overall recovery was proceeding as expected. He had resumed some official work from the hospital, including meetings with senior aides and a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also celebrated Mass inside the facility.

The Vatican announced that Leo will celebrate a midday Mass at the hospital before departing in the early afternoon. On Sunday he is scheduled to deliver the traditional Angelus blessing from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, one week after he told crowds gathered there that doctors had identified the nodule and that surgery would be required.

The disclosure of the diagnosis and the relatively rapid public updates mark a departure from earlier Vatican practice of limiting information about papal health. Leo himself announced the planned operation during the previous Sunday’s Angelus. Officials have not yet released details on the stage of the cancer or whether additional treatment will be required. Doctors have given no indication so far that further intervention is planned in the immediate term.

Leo, the first American pope, was elected last year. His hospitalization is the first of his pontificate. The right lung has three lobes; removal of the lower lobe leaves the upper and middle lobes intact. Recovery timelines for such procedures typically allow patients to resume normal activity within weeks when the cancer is caught early, though the Vatican has not confirmed the stage.

A planned trip to Latin America from November 6 to 17 remains on the calendar. The itinerary includes stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru and involves multiple flights and helicopter transfers. Vatican officials have pointed to the three weeks between discharge and the start of the journey as sufficient recovery time, though any adjustment would depend on further medical assessments.

Outside the hospital, small groups of the faithful have gathered for prayer. The Vatican has cancelled public audiences until October 20 while the pope recovers. He is expected to resume a fuller schedule once back at the Apostolic Palace, subject to medical advice.

The medical team includes the pope’s personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and thoracic surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora of Gemelli hospital. Their Saturday statement confirmed that the combination of laboratory results, imaging and clinical evaluation supported discharge. The pope has been walking, eating regular meals and participating in respiratory physiotherapy during his stay.

Questions remain about long-term prognosis and whether the cancer has spread beyond the removed lobe. The Vatican has not released biopsy results beyond the confirmation of adenocarcinoma. Officials have emphasized that the immediate postoperative course has been normal and that the pope has continued limited official duties while hospitalized.

The discharge returns Leo to the Vatican in time for the Sunday blessing that draws crowds to St. Peter’s Square. His ability to appear at the window will be the first public test of his recovery since the operation. Any further medical updates are expected to come through the Holy See Press Office as the pope resumes his schedule.