Pope Leo discharged from hospital days after lung cancer surgery, plans Sunday blessing
Discharge planned for Saturday
The Vatican said Pope Leo XIV would leave hospital in the early afternoon on Saturday and return to the Vatican. His discharge comes four days after surgery for a suspected cancerous lung nodule.
His personal physician and surgeon said blood tests, a Saturday morning chest X-ray and an assessment of his condition supported the decision. The doctors said he was fit to leave hospital.
Surgery confirmed lung cancer
Doctors removed the lower lobe of Leo’s right lung after detecting a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
Recovery and Sunday appearance
The Vatican released images of Leo celebrating Mass in a makeshift chapel at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. He stood at the altar in green vestments, distributed Communion to medical personnel and Vatican gendarmes, and delivered a homily, spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
Leo thanked hospital staff for caring for sick people and for their work on his behalf, Bruni said. A medical update said his recovery allowed him to carry out normal daily activities entirely on his own.
The pope is expected to make his first public appearance on Sunday, giving the traditional noon blessing from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Key points
- Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to leave hospital on Saturday, four days after lung surgery.
- The operation confirmed adenocarcinoma, but doctors have not said whether it spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- The Vatican says Leo is recovering and can manage normal daily activities on his own.
- He plans to give the traditional noon blessing from the Vatican on Sunday.