Pope Leo XIV leaves hospital four days after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon, four days after surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his right lung. The 71-year-old walked unaided from the hospital, greeted well-wishers, and returned to the Vatican. He is scheduled to lead the Angelus prayer and blessing from the window of the papal apartment on Sunday.

Doctors Luigi Carbone, the pope’s personal physician, and Stefano Margaritora, head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli, said blood tests and a chest X-ray on Saturday morning showed the pontiff was fit for discharge. The surgery on Tuesday lasted 90 minutes and used a video-assisted technique to remove the lower lobe of the right lung. Pathology confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common form of non-small cell lung cancer.

The Vatican said the tumour was discovered by chance during a routine check. Further tests to determine whether the cancer has spread to lymph nodes have not yet been publicly reported. Doctors described the post-operative course as steady, with the pope walking, eating, and celebrating Mass in the hospital on Friday and Saturday. They indicated no clinical reasons why a planned trip to Latin America next month should not proceed, though full recovery is estimated at about ten days.

Leo, the first American pope, was admitted on 13 October. Initial projections called for roughly seven days in hospital. His early discharge followed visible improvement. He received visitors, including cardinals, and held a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin during recovery, raising the situation of civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky.

The diagnosis and surgery mark the first major health event of his papacy, which began less than two years ago. The Vatican released photographs of the pope celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel. He departed in a black SUV, stopping briefly for a gift from a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl. Crowds outside the hospital cheered as he left.

Adenocarcinoma accounts for a large share of lung cancer cases. Prognosis depends on stage, tumour size, and lymph-node involvement. Those details remain pending. The pope’s medical team has emphasised that he can resume normal daily activities independently.

Sunday’s Angelus will be his first public appearance since the surgery. The event is expected to draw attention from Catholics worldwide as the Church watches the course of his recovery and any further treatment recommendations.