A drawing of Pope Leo XIV is laid at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli University Hospital, where Pope Leo XIV is recovering.
Pope to leave hospital and return to Vatican after lung cancer surgery
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Pope Leo XIV is expected to be discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon and return to the Vatican, the Holy See announced, marking a rapid recovery just days after surgery for lung cancer.
The 71-year-old pontiff underwent a successful operation on Tuesday to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after tests confirmed a diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
Doctors described the video-assisted procedure as radical and free of complications, noting the nodule had been detected at a very early stage.
On Saturday morning, the pope’s physicians, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, reported that blood tests and a chest X-ray confirmed his clinical condition allows him to leave the hospital.
“Following the doctors’ assessment this morning, Pope Leo XIV will be discharged today from Gemelli Hospital, where he was hospitalized for surgery on his right lung,” the Holy See Press Office stated.
“He will leave the hospital in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican.”
Before departing, the pope is scheduled to celebrate Mass in a specially prepared room on the hospital’s 10th floor.
His recovery has progressed steadily: he began walking and eating normally within a day of surgery, resumed respiratory physiotherapy, celebrated Mass for medical staff, and even carried out limited work from his room.
Doctors repeatedly described the postoperative course as “proceeding as expected,” with later updates noting “good recovery of the operated lung” and the ability to perform daily activities independently.
The Vatican had initially anticipated a roughly one-week stay, with public audiences canceled through October 20.
On Sunday, Pope Leo will make his first public appearance since entering the hospital by leading the traditional Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Discharged
Pope Leo XIV has been discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital after doctors determined that he was "fit for discharge" and his clinical condition was stable following surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung.
According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, attending physicians Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora cleared the Pontiff for release on Saturday morning following routine blood tests and a chest X-ray.
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