Pope Leo XIV to leave hospital following lung cancer surgery

What happened to Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV will be discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon, four days after undergoing a 90-minute operation to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung.

The Vatican confirmed that medical tests performed on Saturday morning, including blood work and a chest X-ray, showed steady clinical improvement. The pontiff's personal physician, Dr Luigi Carbone, and Gemelli Hospital's chief thoracic surgeon, Dr Stefano Margaritora, cleared the Pope to return to the Holy See.

He is expected to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer and blessing from the window of his St Peter's Basilica apartment on Sunday noon.

Medical condition and recovery

Surgeons removed a cancerous nodule along with the lower lobe of the Pope's right lung during the procedure on Tuesday. Pathology reports confirmed the growth was adenocarcinoma, a form of non-small cell lung cancer that accounts for roughly 80% of lung cancer cases.

The Vatican noted that the initial lump was detected during a routine medical examination before the Pope publicly disclosed his diagnosis last Sunday. The pontiff is not known to have been a smoker.

Doctors have given no indication that further treatment will be necessary, nor has the Vatican stated whether tests show any sign that the cancer has spread. On Friday, the Holy See released photographs showing the Pope standing at an altar celebrating Mass and distributing communion to hospital staff and Vatican gendarmes inside a makeshift chapel at the hospital.

Diplomatic calls and upcoming schedule

Despite recovering in hospital, the Pope resumed light work on Thursday. On Friday, he held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, their first conversation since June 2025. The Vatican said the call was made to urge dialogue and peace, with the Pope requesting a humanitarian ceasefire in the Ukrainian town of Oleshkiy to allow civilian evacuations and the delivery of food and medicine.

While the Vatican cleared his official audience schedule until 20 October to allow for rest, church officials said he remains keen to maintain his international travel schedule. The Pope is scheduled to begin a two-week tour of Latin America on 11 November, which includes an apostolic visit to Peru, where he previously served as a missionary.

Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori said in a television interview that millions in Peru were praying for his swift recovery, noting that his pace of rehabilitation over the coming weeks will determine whether the trip goes ahead.