Pope Leo discharged from hospital on Saturday, four days after surgery
The 71-year-old pope had a portion of his right lung removed and received a diagnosis of lung cancer earlier this week.
Key points
- Pope Leo XIV left Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Saturday, four days after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung.
- Doctors said tests showed steady improvement and he was deemed fit for discharge after blood tests and a chest X-ray.
- The Vatican confirmed he will recite the Angelus prayer on Sunday, and his surgeon said there is no clinical reason to skip his South America trip.
Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Saturday, four days after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. The 71-year-old pope left through the hospital's main entrance, where a large crowd cheered, and his motorcade arrived back at Vatican City at 3:43 p.m. local time.
The pope shook hands with people outside and stopped to speak with a young woman holding a doll in his image, smiling before waving to the crowd from his car. He had a portion of his right lung removed and was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this week. No information about his prognosis has been made public.
Doctors confirm recovery
Leo had been expected to stay in hospital until Oct. 20, but he resumed some work on Thursday. On Friday, doctors said tests confirmed "steady improvement in his recovery." The Vatican announced on Saturday morning that he would leave later in the day.
His personal physician and surgeon said in a statement that he was "deemed fit for discharge from the hospital," based on blood test results, a chest X-ray performed Saturday morning and an assessment of his clinical condition.
The Holy Father falls into the category of people who discover they have lung cancer entirely by chance
— Dr. Stefano Margaritora
Prayer and South America trip
The Vatican confirmed Leo will recite the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment on Sunday. His surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, told Vatican News there is no clinical reason the pope should skip his planned early November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. On Friday, the Vatican published the names of journalists accredited to fly on the papal plane.
The Vatican said Leo spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday and expressed deep concern about the humanitarian situation in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky. He also met Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Cardinal Baldassare Reina, and the Vatican released pictures of him celebrating Mass in a small hospital chapel on Friday. Margaritora said the tumor's discovery was "entirely accidental" and that the pope had no symptoms.
