Pope Leo XIV was discharged from a Rome hospital on Saturday. He had lung cancer surgery on Tuesday.
Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital on Saturday afternoon and returned to the Vatican, days after surgery to remove part of his right lung, the Holy See Press Office said.
His doctors, Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora, said blood tests and a chest X-ray performed Saturday morning showed he was fit to leave. The pope celebrated Mass in a room set aside for that purpose on the hospital’s 10th floor before departing. He is scheduled to lead the Angelus prayer Sunday from a window of the papal apartment. The Vatican said Leo resumed work activities Thursday.
Surgeons removed the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung Tuesday using a video-assisted technique, the Vatican said. An examination of tissue during the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, a diagnosis that preoperative tests had suggested. Doctors said the operation was successful and without complications. The pope was in the operating room for about three hours, and the procedure itself lasted about 90 minutes. Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, accounting for roughly 40% of lung cancer cases, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
Leo, 71, disclosed the lung nodule during his Oct. 11 Angelus address, saying doctors found it during medical check-ups. It is the first major health issue he has made public since his election in May 2025, according to The Associated Press. The Vatican canceled all papal audiences through Oct. 20. Its post-surgery bulletin did not specify the stage of the cancer or whether further treatment would be needed.
Information for this report was provided by Vatican News, ABC News, NPR and The Associated Press.