Pope Leo XIV left Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Saturday, four days after the removal of a cancerous nodule in his lung.
Doctors from the hospital told reporters that Leo, 71, had resumed certain normal activities after the surgery while staying at Gemelli. The operation confirmed the pope has lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.
“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 said in a statement. “He will leave the hospital in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican. Tomorrow, he will lead the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment.”
Leo was considered “fit for discharge from the hospital” by his personal physician and surgeon after undergoing blood tests and an X-ray of his chest.
This picture, released by Vatican Media on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, shows Pope Leo XIV, flanked by his personal secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, left, celebrating Mass at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where he is recovering after having cancer removed from his right lung. (Vatican Media via AP)
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This picture, released by Vatican Media on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, shows Pope Leo XIV, flanked by his personal secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, left, celebrating Mass at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where he is recovering after having cancer removed from his right lung. (Vatican Media via AP)
The pope held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, during which he spoke with Putin about his desire to continue dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. The pope also expressed concern about the Ukrainian city of Oleshky in the Kherson region, which is facing a severe humanitarian crisis according to the United Nations, seeking a truce to allow for the flow of aid and the evacuation of 1,700 trapped civilians.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT POPE LEO XIV’S LUNG CANCER DIAGNOSIS
The Vatican also released images on Friday showing Leo celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel, presiding over the liturgy and distributing Communion to hospital staff and Vatican security officers.
These activities and the quick discharge from the hospital demonstrate positive signs of the pope’s health. However, doctors are still waiting for results from tests analyzing the cancer and whether any further treatment is necessary.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
