Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican on Saturday after doctors discharged him from Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital, four days after they removed part of his right lung to treat cancer.
Doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora said the 71-year-old pontiff was “fit for discharge,” based on blood tests, a chest X-ray taken that morning and his general condition. The Vatican said he would leave the hospital in the early afternoon.
Leo told crowds in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, October 11, that a routine medical examination had found a nodule in his lung. “The doctors believe it is best to intervene,” he said. He entered Gemelli on Tuesday, October 13.
Margaritora led the surgical team. The Vatican said the operation finished within the expected time and went as planned. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of the right lung to make sure they took out the whole tumour. A tissue examination during the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, a form of non-small cell lung cancer. He spent about three hours in the operating room, and the surgery itself lasted about 90 minutes.
His recovery has gone as doctors expected. Blood tests and a chest X-ray on Wednesday showed values within the normal range for this kind of operation. On Thursday, the Vatican said the pope had “a good night in the hospital” and ate breakfast. He has celebrated Mass in a room on the 10th floor of the hospital.
Leo has also returned to some duties. On Friday, he phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to urge a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.
On Sunday, October 18, he will lead the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment. Popes usually give the prayer from the Apostolic Palace overlooking St Peter’s Square. Popes John Paul II and Francis also gave it from their hospital rooms at Gemelli. Leo has cancelled all his audiences until October 20.
Doctors are still waiting for biopsy results that will show whether the cancer has spread. Those results will decide what treatment comes next. They will also affect a planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17. Leo had spent about two decades as a missionary in Peru.
Leo was elected pope in May 2025. He plays tennis and swims, and the Vatican had reported no earlier health problems during his time as pope. The news has affected the Vatican and the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
