Pope Leo XIV to Leave Hospital After Lung Cancer Surgery

Pope Leo XIV will be discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon, four days after an operation to remove a cancerous growth from his lung BBC. The Vatican said he will give the traditional Angelus prayer and blessing in St Peter's Square on Sunday.

That would be his first public appearance since the surgery. The 71-year-old pope announced the operation himself during the Angelus the previous week.

He entered hospital on Tuesday for surgery on a lung nodule. The 90-minute procedure included removal of the lower lobe of his right lung and was completed successfully without complications, according to the Vatican Reuters. He was diagnosed with a common form of lung cancer, though the Vatican has not disclosed the size of the tumour.

Doctors said blood tests and a chest X-ray showed steady improvement in the days after the operation. Photographs released on Friday showed the pope celebrating Mass in the hospital and distributing communion to staff. Results of further tests to check whether the cancer has spread have not yet been announced.

On Friday, he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in their first call since June 2025 BBC. The Vatican said the call was to urge dialogue and peace. The pope also called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshkiy to allow evacuations and the delivery of food and medicine.

His schedule has been cleared completely until 20 October. He has a trip to Latin America planned for early November, including a visit to Peru where he served as a missionary.