The key facts

  • Leo XIV was discharged from Gemelli hospital four days after surgery to remove part of his right lung due to a cancerous tumor
  • Doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margatora declared the Pope 'fit for discharge'; recovery is proceeding normally, test results are awaited
  • Audiences are canceled until October 20; the trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on November 6–17 is in question

Pope returns to the Vatican

Pope Leo XIV left Rome's Gemelli hospital on Saturday to cheers and applause from the gathered crowd and returned to the Vatican — four days after surgery for lung cancer. The 71-year-old pontiff walked through the hospital lobby on foot, smiling, shaking hands and giving autograph-greetings. He spoke briefly with the doctors who treated him and the hospital leadership, then stopped to talk with a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl who had overcome cancer and wished him a speedy recovery. Shortly after discharge, the Pope's black SUV drove through a side entrance into the Vatican.

Course of treatment and doctors' decision

Leo XIV had been at Gemelli hospital north of the Vatican since Tuesday, when surgeons removed part of his right lung to extract a cancerous tumor. On Saturday morning, doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margatora reported in a note published by the Vatican that 'given the blood tests, the chest X-ray taken this morning, and the assessment of the clinical picture, the Holy Father is deemed fit for discharge.' According to the Vatican, before discharge the Pope celebrated Mass at noon in the room on the 10th floor where he was recovering — as he had done on previous days. Doctors note that recovery is proceeding normally, but test results are awaited, on which the further course of action will depend.

Meeting with the Ukrainian girl

The 13-year-old Ukrainian girl, who spoke with the Pope at the hospital exit, had told AFP earlier that same day that she had been rooting for him. According to her, she met the pontiff in Rome last year, 'and he blessed me for successful treatment.' 'Thanks to his support I overcame the illness, and I want to give him my positive energy so that he too can overcome his illness as quickly as possible,' she said.

What's next: Angelus, audiences and the trip

The Vatican said that on Sunday Leo XIV plans to recite the Angelus from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter's Square, as is customary. The Pope's illness became known last Sunday, when after the Angelus he announced to those gathered on the square that a routine medical examination had revealed a nodule that doctors recommended removing. The news that the active pontiff had a cancerous lung tumor removed caused alarm among 1.4 billion Catholics and his other supporters — less than two years after the start of his pontificate: Leo was elected head of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025. The Pope canceled all audiences until October 20, but has already resumed part of his work: on Friday he called Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging a ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky occupied by Russia. The trip to South America — Uruguay, Argentina and Peru — scheduled for November 6–17 remains in question. Observers note that Leo, who worked as a missionary in Peru for two decades, is eager to make this journey but will likely follow the doctors' recommendations.