Pope Leo XIV smiled and waved to supporters as he left hospital, four days after surgeons removed a cancerous mass from his lung.
The 71-year-old pontiff underwent a 90-minute operation on Tuesday morning after doctors discovered a lesion on his chest. He was later diagnosed with cancer after part of his right lung was removed.
Doctors said the Pope has adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
The Vatican said Pope Leo is expected to deliver the traditional noon blessing tomorrow, Sunday, from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square.
In an earlier statement, his personal physician and surgeon said the Pope was ‘deemed fit for discharge from the hospital’ after blood tests and a chest X-ray carried out on Saturday morning, together with an assessment of his overall clinical condition.
The American pontiff left hospital on Saturday afternoon and returned to the Vatican.
Pope Leo has provided an unusual level of openness about his health. Last Sunday, he told faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square that doctors had found a nodule on his lung and planned to remove it.
He disclosed the diagnosis to millions watching around the world on live television, mentioning it almost in passing at the end of his blessing.
Pope Leo XIV smiled and waved to supporters as he left hospital four days after surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung
Doctors confirmed that Pope Leo has adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer
Pope Leo XIV greets a doctor while leaving Agostino Gemelli University Hospital
His personal physician and surgeon said Pope Leo was ‘deemed fit for discharge from the hospital’
The Pope was accompanied by members of his entourage as he departed Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon
Well-wishers gathered outside the hospital hoping to see Pope Leo
The Vatican has traditionally kept papal health matters closely guarded, reflecting the popular Italian saying: ‘The pope is fine until he’s dead.’
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Since his operation, Pope Leo has offered several signs of a positive recovery. He has spoken by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, met senior aides and celebrated Mass in a hospital chapel.
His personal doctor has also described his post-operative recovery as good, saying it had enabled the pontiff to continue with ‘normal daily activities completely on his own.’
The Vatican yesterday released the first images of Pope Leo since his lung cancer surgery. They showed him standing at an altar in a hospital chapel, dressed in green vestments, as doctors reported tests had confirmed his ‘continued improvement.’
Pope Leo led the liturgy alone and distributed Communion to medical staff and Vatican gendarmes who were present, spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
During his homily, the Pope thanked hospital employees ‘for the work they do every day taking care of the sick in their fragility, and in a particular way what they had done for him,’ Bruni said.
The Vatican had originally estimated he would stay in hospital for a week, and had cancelled his audiences until Tuesday.
Bruni said the discharge date would be decided by the Pope’s doctors.
Pope Leo XIV was pictured on Friday celebrating Mass at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, Rome
An image of Pope Leo was placed near the statue of Pope John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital
Well-wishers placed a banner outside the hospital with the words ‘Long live the Pope’
His next big agenda item is a trip to Latin America next month, which gives Pope Leo three more weeks of recovery before taking on the ambitious journey. His itinerary is said to include a dozen flights and two helicopter trips.
The Vatican has given signs the trip will go ahead, publishing the names of journalists accredited to fly on Pope Leo’s plane on Friday.
Oncology surgeons say protocols generally clear patients to fly after three weeks, as long as recovery allows.
Doctors are still awaiting test results to determine whether further treatment will be necessary.