Pope Leo XIV leaves hospital after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV left a Rome hospital Saturday, four days after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung to treat cancer. The 71-year-old walked unaided to a waiting car outside Gemelli Hospital, waving to well-wishers before returning to the Vatican.

Blood tests and a chest X-ray that morning showed “steady improvement,” his doctors said in a statement released by the Vatican. The pope is expected to lead the Angelus prayer and blessing from the window of the papal apartment on Sunday, facing a crowd in St. Peter’s Square.

His departure came sooner than expected. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said the estimated postoperative recovery time would be about one week, according to NPR. The pope’s public schedule remains clear until at least Oct. 20.

Leo told crowds in St. Peter’s Square last Sunday that doctors had found a “localized nodule” in his lung at a “very early stage.” He said he had decided to have it removed on their advice. During Tuesday’s operation, which lasted about 90 minutes, surgeons removed the entire lower lobe of his right lung. Doctors said an examination of the tissue confirmed lung adenocarcinoma. Results of further tests to determine whether the cancer has spread have not been announced, and the Vatican has not announced any further treatment.

Photographs released Friday showed Leo celebrating Mass and distributing communion to hospital staff. He celebrated Mass again Saturday before leaving, in a room on the hospital’s 10th floor, according to the Vatican press office.

Doctors outside his care told NPR that the decision to operate suggested the cancer had been caught early. “The fact that surgery was the first tool that they utilized is a really good sign,” said Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist. “It suggests that they think this is early stage.” Gupta said removing more lung tissue than initially anticipated was not, by itself, a bad sign.

Even while recovering, Leo spoke by phone Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, their first call since June 2025. The Vatican said the call was intended to urge “dialogue and peace.” The BBC reported that Leo also called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshkiy, a Russian-occupied Ukrainian city under shelling, to allow evacuations and deliveries of food and medicine. The BBC has reported that residents there have resorted to eating garden weeds.

An early November trip to Latin America is still planned. According to NPR, the itinerary includes Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where Leo lived on and off for two decades and holds citizenship. People close to the pope said he was keen not to delay the trip, the BBC reported. Whether he will be fit to travel, or need further treatment, remains unclear.