Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican on Saturday, leaving Rome’s Gemelli hospital just four days after undergoing surgery for lung cancer — a swift discharge that drew cheers, prayers and close scrutiny around the world.
Dozens of well wishers lined the hospital exit as Leo walked out and headed for a waiting car.
“I am better, thank you,” the pope said when asked how he was, before being driven away in a black SUV.
The 71-year-old pontiff underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after doctors found what they believed to be a cancerous nodule.
Post-operative tests confirmed adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
His surgeon, Dr Stefano Margaritora, head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli, escorted him to the hospital doors for the formal discharge.
As he left, the pope paused briefly when a teenage girl handed him a homemade papal doll.
About 10 minutes after departing Gemelli, he passed through the Vatican gates.
The Vatican said Pope Leo will deliver the traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square tomorrow — one week after he told the crowd that a nodule had been detected in his lung.
Pope Leo XIV waves to well wishers as he leaves the hospital
In a separate statement, the pope’s personal physician and surgeon said he was “deemed fit for discharge from the hospital” following blood tests and a chest X-ray taken this morning, along with an evaluation of his overall clinical condition.
In an unusually direct disclosure, Pope Leo told worshippers in St Peter’s Square last Sunday that doctors had found a lung nodule and that it would be removed.
After Tuesday’s operation confirmed the cancer diagnosis, the pope offered repeated signs of steady recovery: he held a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, met with senior aides and celebrated Mass in a makeshift chapel inside the hospital.
Updates from his personal physician and surgeon also pointed to a strong post-operative course, saying he was able to resume “normal daily activities completely on his own”.
On Friday, the Vatican published the first images of Pope Leo since the surgery, showing him standing at an altar in the hospital chapel wearing green vestments, as doctors reported that tests showed his “continued improvement”.
Flowers, candles and a picture of Pope Leo are laid outside the Gemelli University Hospital
The next major event on the pope’s schedule is a Latin America trip running from 6 November to 17 November, leaving him three additional weeks to recuperate before an itinerary that includes a dozen flights and two helicopter journeys.
The Vatican has signaled confidence the travel will proceed, releasing yesterday the list of journalists accredited to fly aboard the papal aircraft.
Oncology surgeons say standard protocols typically allow patients to fly after three weeks, provided their recovery is progressing well.
Doctors are still waiting on further test results to determine the molecular and genetic profile of Pope Leo’s cancer, whether it has spread beyond the affected lobe and whether additional treatment will be required.
