Pope Leo XIV Returns to Vatican After Lung Cancer Surgery, Will Lead Sunday Angelus

Pope Leo XIV left hospital to cheers and applause from well-wishers and returned to the Vatican on Saturday, four days after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, Dawn reported.

The 71-year-old pontiff crossed the lobby of Rome’s Gemelli hospital on foot, smiling as he shook hands and waved. He spoke briefly with the doctors who treated him and hospital officials before pausing to speak with a Ukrainian girl, a cancer survivor who had come to wish him well.

Pope Leo XIV declared fit for discharge

Earlier on Saturday, the pope’s doctors declared him “fit for discharge”, according to the Vatican. He had been at the Gemelli hospital, north of the Vatican, since Tuesday, when surgeons removed part of his right lung to extract a cancerous tumour.

“Considering the blood tests, the chest X-ray done this morning, and evaluating the clinical picture, the Holy Father has been deemed fit for discharge,” doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora wrote in a note published by the Vatican.

Soon after leaving, the pope’s black SUV drove through a side entrance to the Vatican. His discharge capped five days of uncertainty that rattled the Vatican and the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, less than two years into the Chicago-born pope’s papacy.

The Vatican said Pope Leo planned to recite the Angelus prayer on Sunday from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St Peter’s Square, as is customary. Before his discharge, he celebrated Mass at noon in a room on the hospital’s 10th floor, where he had been recovering, as he had done in recent days.

The Vatican’s recent engagement with Pakistan

The pope’s recovery will be watched closely well beyond Rome, including in Pakistan, where the Vatican has been visibly active this month. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See’s foreign minister, visited Pakistan earlier in October, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met him in Islamabad on October 9.

Pakistan is home to a small but historic Catholic community, and the envoy’s visit covered interfaith harmony and the community’s welfare. A speedy recovery for the pontiff matters to those faithful, who follow Vatican developments closely.

What the surgery means for the papacy

A partial lung removal is major surgery at any age, and at 71 it will shape the pope’s schedule in the coming weeks. The Vatican has not detailed the cancer’s stage or the treatment plan beyond the operation, and officials will likely manage his public appearances carefully while he regains strength.

Leo XIV, born in Chicago, is the first American-born pope. His papacy, still short of its second anniversary, has been marked by efforts to steady the Church after a period of internal strain. The sight of him walking out of Gemelli on his own, waving to the crowd, was the image the Vatican needed after five anxious days.

Catholic leaders and faithful around the world, including voices speaking out on Gaza’s suffering in recent days, will take Sunday’s Angelus as the first real measure of his recovery.

What happens next

All eyes turn to St Peter’s Square on Sunday, when the pope is expected at the Apostolic Palace window for the Angelus. A full resumption of his schedule, including audiences, travel and the ordinary rhythm of the papacy, will depend on his doctors’ guidance in the weeks ahead.

What surgery did Pope Leo XIV have?

Surgeons removed part of his right lung to extract a cancerous tumour at Rome’s Gemelli hospital.

How long was the pope in hospital?

Five days. He was admitted on Tuesday and discharged on Saturday after doctors declared him fit.

When will the pope appear in public next?

The Vatican says he plans to recite the Angelus prayer on Sunday from the Apostolic Palace window overlooking St Peter’s Square.