Pope Leo XIV is set to leave Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous nodule from his right lung, the Holy See announced.
“Following the doctors’ assessment this morning, Pope Leo XIV will be discharged today from Gemelli Hospital, where he was hospitalized for surgery on his right lung,” the Vatican said in a statement.
The pope is expected to depart in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican. On Sunday, he will lead the Angelus prayer from a window of the papal apartment, according to the announcement.
Blood tests and a chest X-ray performed Saturday indicated that Pope Leo was healthy enough to leave the hospital and continue his recovery at the Vatican, according to Vatican News.
Pope Leo XIV leaves the Vatican before being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital for an operation to remove a lump from his lung, in the Vatican on 13 October 2026. (Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images)
Before his discharge, the pope will celebrate Mass in a room on the hospital’s 10th floor, the Holy See press office said.
Pope Leo underwent thoracic surgery Tuesday to remove the lung nodule. Doctors later identified the growth as lung adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer.
The procedure was successful and produced no complications. “The Pope was in the operating room approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes,” the Holy See press office said.
Pope Leo XIV arrives at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, where he underwent surgery to remove a lung nodule. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
Vatican News reported that Pope Leo woke normally after the operation and, following a short period of observation, was taken back to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor.
During his recovery, Pope Leo also spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, appealing for a ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky.
The Holy Father voiced “deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation” in Oleshky, located in the Kherson region, and urged a halt in fighting to enable food and medical supplies to reach residents and permit civilians to leave voluntarily and safely, the Vatican said.
The pope also reiterated the Holy See’s efforts to encourage dialogue and support peace, according to the statement.
Pope Leo called Russian President Vladimir Putin while recovering from lung surgery to discuss Ukraine. (Vatican Media via AP; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Russia has controlled the southern Ukrainian city since May and has blocked humanitarian food deliveries, according to earlier News Media reporting. Oleshky is also without electricity, gas and running water, while its hospital is operating only in a limited capacity.
News Media has reached out to the Holy See for additional comment.
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