Pontiff discharged from Rome’s Gemelli four days after lung surgery, and tells well-wishers he is feeling "much better".Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome’s Agostino Gemelli hospital on Saturday and returned to the Vatican, where he will lead the Angelus prayer at midday on Sunday.The 71-year-old pope walked out of the hospital’s main entrance, the same way he went in on Tuesday, and stopped to greet people waiting behind barriers, reportedly saying: “I’m feeling much better,” according to news agency ANSA. His car passed through the Porta del Perugino gate into Vatican City mid-afternoon. He underwent surgery last Tuesday to remove a cancerous growth from his right lung, which required removing the lower lobe. Doctors described the tumour as a lung adenocarcinoma. The operation was reported to have gone as planned, without complications, according to Vatican News. Discharged early A medical bulletin signed by the pope’s personal physician, Dr Luigi Carbone, and the surgeon, Professor Stefano Margaritora, said blood tests and a chest X-ray on Saturday morning showed he was fit to leave. He left about two days earlier than the week-long stay doctors had predicted before the operation. Before leaving, the pope celebrated Mass in a room set aside as a chapel on the 10th floor of the hospital. He thanked Margaritora and the medical and nursing staff, and greeted the rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Elena Beccalli, and hospital leaders. He also spent a few minutes with Varvara, a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl who has been treated for cancer in Italy for a year, and who gave him a toy resembling him. Margaritora called the Pope an “ideal patient” and said the tumour had been found by chance during a routine abdominal check. Sunday’s Angelus The Holy See press office confirmed that the pope will recite the Angelus at noon from the window of the Apostolic Palace. It will be exactly a week after he surprised pilgrims in St Peter’s Square by announcing his lung problem, and his first public words since the operation. He is recovering in the papal apartments, and the Vatican said doctors had not asked for medical equipment to be installed there. His personal doctor is expected to visit daily, with a physiotherapist if needed. Margaritora may visit in the coming days. What comes next Results of tests on the tumour and nearby lymph nodes are expected early next week. They will show whether further treatment is needed. His audiences are suspended until Tuesday. The first public engagement could be the general audience on Wednesday 21 October, which has not been confirmed. His attendance at a Sant’Egidio peace event in Assisi on 27 October is uncertain, as medical staff have indicated a convalescence of around 10 days. His trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for 6 to 17 November, remains on the calendar. Margaritora said there was no clinical reason why it should not go ahead, though the decision rests with the pope. The Peru leg would take him back to the country where he worked as a missionary and later bishop for about 20 years. Italian president Sergio Mattarella sent his wishes for a quick and full recovery. On Friday, the pope spoke by phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin, their first call since June 2025, urging dialogue and peace and calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky. Photo credit: : Pierre Laborde / Shutterstock.com

Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome’s Agostino Gemelli hospital on Saturday and returned to the Vatican, where he will lead the Angelus prayer at midday on Sunday. The 71-year-old pope walked out of the hospital’s main entrance, the same way he went in on Tuesday, and stopped to greet people waiting behind barriers, reportedly saying: “I’m feeling much better,” according to news agency ANSA. His car passed through the Porta del Perugino gate into Vatican City mid-afternoon. He underwent surgery last Tuesday to remove a cancerous growth from his right lung, which required removing the lower lobe. Doctors described the tumour as a lung adenocarcinoma. The operation was reported to have gone as planned, without complications, according to Vatican News. A medical bulletin signed by the pope’s personal physician, Dr Luigi Carbone, and the surgeon, Professor Stefano Margaritora, said blood tests and a chest X-ray on Saturday morning showed he was fit to leave. He left about two days earlier than the week-long stay doctors had predicted before the operation. Before leaving, the pope celebrated Mass in a room set aside as a chapel on the 10th floor of the hospital. He thanked Margaritora and the medical and nursing staff, and greeted the rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Elena Beccalli, and hospital leaders. He also spent a few minutes with Varvara, a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl who has been treated for cancer in Italy for a year, and who gave him a toy resembling him. Margaritora called the Pope an “ideal patient” and said the tumour had been found by chance during a routine abdominal check. The Holy See press office confirmed that the pope will recite the Angelus at noon from the window of the Apostolic Palace. It will be exactly a week after he surprised pilgrims in St Peter’s Square by announcing his lung problem, and his first public words since the operation. He is recovering in the papal apartments, and the Vatican said doctors had not asked for medical equipment to be installed there. His personal doctor is expected to visit daily, with a physiotherapist if needed. Margaritora may visit in the coming days. Results of tests on the tumour and nearby lymph nodes are expected early next week. They will show whether further treatment is needed. His audiences are suspended until Tuesday. The first public engagement could be the general audience on Wednesday 21 October, which has not been confirmed. His attendance at a Sant’Egidio peace event in Assisi on 27 October is uncertain, as medical staff have indicated a convalescence of around 10 days. His trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for 6 to 17 November, remains on the calendar. Margaritora said there was no clinical reason why it should not go ahead, though the decision rests with the pope. The Peru leg would take him back to the country where he worked as a missionary and later bishop for about 20 years. Italian president Sergio Mattarella sent his wishes for a quick and full recovery. On Friday, the pope spoke by phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin, their first call since June 2025, urging dialogue and peace and calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky. Photo credit: : Pierre Laborde / Shutterstock.com