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Pope Leo discharged from hospital after cancer operation
Pope Leo was discharged from Rome's Gemelli hospital on Saturday afternoon, days after surgeons removed part of his right lung to extract a cancerous tumour. The 71-year-old pope walked out unaided, to cheers from well-wishers.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 17, 2026
• 2 Min Read
Doctors judged him fit to leave
The decision to release the pope rested on his doctors, Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora, who said in a statement published by the Vatican that Leo was fit for discharge. Their assessment cited the results of blood work and a chest X-ray carried out that morning.
"Considering the blood tests, the chest X-ray done this morning, and evaluating the clinical picture."
That statement capped a steady week at the Gemelli. Doctors had said on Wednesday that the pope's recovery from the operation was progressing normally, and before his release he celebrated mass in his room on the hospital's 10th floor.
From nodule to adenocarcinoma
The hospital stay followed a sequence the Vatican had already set out:
- •During his Angelus in St Peter's Square the previous week, Leo announced that a small nodule on his lung had been detected during a check-up.
- •He entered the Gemelli hospital on Tuesday, when surgeons removed part of his right lung to extract the tumour.
- •He was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, the most common kind of lung cancer.
- •The Vatican had originally counted on a week-long stay, with the pope's appointments cancelled until 20 October.
Sunday Angelus and the November trip
The Vatican said the pope would recite the Angelus prayer on Sunday from the window of the papal apartment.
Beyond the weekend, his surgeon gave the clearest signal yet about the pope's travel plans. Margaritora told Vatican media on Saturday that there were no clinical reasons to prevent the planned trip to Latin America from 6 to 17 November, and that he saw no obstacle to air travel in about three weeks. He said the Holy Father had put his heart and soul into his recovery and expected full recovery within roughly another 10 days.
Open questions on the cancer's spread
What is not yet known is how far the disease extended. Doctors are still waiting for the results of tests to determine whether the cancer has spread, and whether the pope will need further treatment.
Leo, who in May last year became the first US-born leader of the Roman Catholic church, left the Gemelli hospital on Saturday afternoon walking unaided, to cheers from well-wishers.
