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Pope Leo XIV Discharged After Lung Cancer Surgery
· Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital after undergoing surgery for lung cancer.
Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Saturday, following surgery for lung cancer, according to a joint statement released by the Vatican and reported by Angelusnews and France 24 (France).
The Vatican press office, as reported by OSV News and The Catholic Telegraph, confirmed that the pope had been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common subtype of non-small cell lung cancer.
Doctors Dr. Luigi Carbone and Dr. Stefano Margaritora, as quoted by CBS News and Vatican News (Holy See (Vatican City State)), stated that the pope had undergone blood tests and a chest X-ray that morning, confirming his clinical condition allowed for discharge.
Pope Leo XIV walked out of the hospital at about 3:30 p.m., as noted by Angelusnews and ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos. He celebrated noon Mass at the hospital before being discharged, as reported by Vatican News (Holy See (Vatican City State)) and The Catholic Telegraph.
According to Vatican News (Holy See (Vatican City State)) and OSV News, the pope stopped to speak with a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl named Varvara, who had greeted him earlier this year while being treated for cancer in Rome. Varvara, with the help of a Ukrainian priest as translator, explained that the pope's embrace before her surgery had given her strength to overcome her illness.
The pope's discharge comes less than a week after he announced his hospitalization and surgery during his Sunday Angelus address on Oct. 11, as reported by OSV News and EWTN News. The Vatican press office said the pope would return to the Vatican, as noted by Bangkokpost and EWTN News.
Doctors cleared Pope Leo XIV to leave the hospital, as reported by Abcnews and Americamagazine. The Vatican announced at 11:30 a.m. local time that the pope would be discharged, as noted by Americamagazine and OSV News.
The surgery, which lasted approximately 90 minutes, was described as 'successful' with no complications, according to ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos and CBS News.
Pope Leo XIV thanked Professor Stefano Margaritora and the medical and nursing team before leaving the hospital, as reported by Vaticannews (Holy See (Vatican City State)) and OSV News.
The pope expressed his gratitude to people around the world for their prayers as he begins returning to his duties, as noted by Chvnradio and Thecable (Nigeria).
The Vatican press office said the pope would hold his Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter's Square, as reported by EWTN News and Vaticannews (Holy See (Vatican City State)).
The pope will gradually resume his regular activities, as reported by Fox News and The-Journal. His surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, told Vatican News that there are 'no clinical reasons' the pope should not make his planned trip to South America, Nov. 6 to 17, as noted by Americamagazine and OSV News.
What this adds
The Vatican press office provided a health update on Monday, following the pope's surgery for pulmonary adenocarcinoma on October 13, as reported by Vaticannews (Holy See (Vatican City State)) and Rvasia.
Background
Pope Leo XIV's doctors announced Wednesday that final tests confirm his lung cancer was localized and no further treatment is necessary.
In his first general audience since lung cancer surgery, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of authentic love and lifelong commitment in marriage.
What's confirmed
- In a joint statement released by the Vatican that morning, the pope's personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and chief surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora said, "Based on the blood tests and chest X-ray performed this morning, and after evaluating his clinical condition, the Holy Father has been deemed fit for discharge."
- “Since almost a week has already passed, I believe the Pope could be fully recovered in another ten days or so.” As he left the hospital, Pope Leo stopped to speak with a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl named Varvara who had previously greeted him while being treated for cancer in Rome earlier this year, according to Vatican News.
- The pope walked out of Rome's Gemelli Hospital at about 3:30 p.m.
- Following the surgery, the Vatican revealed that the pope had been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma.
- With the help of a Ukrainian priest as translator, Varvara explained to the pope that his embrace of her before her own cancer surgery in December had given her "the strength to overcome the illness." The girl handed Pope Leo a large printed photo of their hug in St.
- According to Vatican News, further post-operation tests on the tissue removed were planned in the days following the surgery.
- Before being discharged from the hospital, Pope Leo celebrated noon Mass at the hospital as he did the previous day, the Vatican spokesman noted.
- The Vatican press office said earlier that the pope would return to the Vatican.
- The pope himself announced to the public in St Peter’s Square last Sunday, following the Angelus prayer, that a routine medical examination had revealed a nodule that doctors recommended should be removed.
- The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule.
- The two doctors said the pope had undergone blood tests and a chest X-ray that morning, with the results confirming his clinical condition meant he could leave hospital.
- Pope Leo XIV is recovering at Gemelli Hospital after surgery for lung cancer, and more than 2,000 of you have now written to him.
What's still developing
- 6-13 trip to three South American countries shouldn’t take place.
- (Photo: AFP) News that the otherwise healthy and sporty pope had a cancerous tumour removed from his lung has rattled the Vatican and the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
- Pope Leo XIV waves from a car taking him back to the Vatican to continue his recovery, on Oct 17, 2026.
- Leo had been at the hospital north of the Vatican since Tuesday, when doctors removed part of his right lung to extract a cancerous tumour.
- "The Holy Father falls into the category of people who discover they have lung cancer entirely by chance – not because they are undergoing preventive screening, but because they undergo examinations for other reasons," Margaritora said.
- Lung adenocarcinoma begins in cells in the lung that make mucus, called epithelial cells, which line the surface of the lungs, the American Cancer Society says.
- Surgery this week: Pope Leo XIV announced after the Angelus on Oct. 11 that doctors found “a small, localized nodule” in his lung, “detected at a very early stage,” and that he has decided to have it removed.
- Doctors said there were no complications in the procedure, but further tests are needed to determine if the cancer had spread into his lymph nodes or other parts of his body.
- Leo, 71, underwent surgery on October 13 to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after doctors detected a suspicious growth.
- Ahead of the Pope’s surgery, the Prefecture of the Papal Household, which coordinates the Pope’s public activities, had announced the cancellation of all the Pope’s audiences through Tuesday, 20 October.
- Pope Leo XIV appeared at the window of his private study in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Sunday, just one day after being discharged early from the hospital following surgery last Tuesday.
- “He is not a man in a rush,” America ’s veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell often told me in the early months of Pope Leo XIV’s papacy.