Pope Leo XIV Leaves Rome Hospital After Lung Surgery
Pope Leo XIV walked out of Rome's Gemelli hospital on Saturday, smiling and greeting the faithful, after being discharged following surgery for a lung adenocarcinoma. He returned to the Vatican and is expected to lead the Angelus on Sunday.
Pope Leo XIV left Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic on foot on Saturday, smiling and greeting the faithful gathered outside, after doctors discharged him following surgery for an adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer. The 71-year-old pontiff then returned to the Vatican, where he is scheduled to lead the Angelus prayer on Sunday.
The pope exited the medical center without assistance and paused for several minutes to speak with a young girl and her family before getting into the vehicle that took him to the Vatican. His departure drew considerable attention and brought dozens of faithful to the streets outside the hospital, alongside numerous journalists who had followed his operation and recovery.
Before leaving, Leo XIV celebrated Mass at midday in a room within the area where he had been admitted since Tuesday, October 13, the date of his hospitalization and surgery. The procedure, which lasted about 90 minutes, involved the removal of the lower lobe of his right lung because of the adenocarcinoma. The pope had announced beforehand that he needed an operation for a nodule detected in one of his lungs.
His walk out of the hospital and his greetings to those waiting marked his first public appearance since the intervention, as his recovery continues. The Vatican has not provided further details on his treatment or the expected length of his convalescence.
For Sunday, the pontiff is due to reappear on the balcony of the Apostolic Palace to lead the Angelus, a traditional prayer that he has maintained in his schedule despite the surgery. The appearance would come one week after he disclosed the need for the operation.
The scene outside the Gemelli, a hospital long associated with the care of popes, underlined the public attention that has surrounded his brief hospitalization. The faithful who gathered said they had come to show their support and to see him leave in person.
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