Pope Leo XIV was discharged from hospital on Saturday and returned to the Vatican, five days after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung.
The 71-year-old leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics was greeted by cheers and applause from well-wishers as he left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment since Tuesday.
Doctors removed part of his right lung to extract the tumour, prompting concern among Catholics worldwide about the health of the pontiff.
In a medical report published by the Vatican, doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora said the pope was fit to leave the hospital following an assessment of his condition.
“Considering the blood tests, the chest X-ray done this morning, and evaluating the clinical picture, the Holy Father has been deemed fit for discharge,” the doctors said.
The Vatican had earlier announced that Leo would recite the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment.
The prayer is traditionally delivered by the pope from the Apostolic Palace overlooking St Peter’s Square. However, former popes John Paul II and Francis also recited the Angelus from their hospital windows while receiving treatment at Gemelli Hospital.
The Vatican press office said Leo celebrated Mass on Saturday, as he had done in recent days, in a room on the hospital’s 10th floor, where he had been recovering.
Outside the hospital, 12-year-old Ukrainian Varvara Struck expressed support for the pontiff.
The former cancer patient said she met Leo in Rome last year, when he blessed her and prayed for the success of her treatment.
“With his support, I’ve now overcome my illness, and I want to give him my positive energy so that he, too, can overcome his illness as quickly as possible,” she said.
Recovery and travel plans remain uncertain
News that the otherwise active pope had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous lung tumour has raised concerns within the Vatican and among Catholics around the world.
However, his doctors have said his recovery is progressing normally, while awaiting test results that will help determine the next steps in his treatment.
Despite his hospitalisation, Leo has resumed some official duties. On Friday, he reportedly spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky.
Questions nevertheless remain over a planned papal visit to South America scheduled for November 6 to 17, during which Leo is expected to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Vatican observers say the pontiff, who spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, is keen to undertake the trip but is likely to follow his doctors’ recommendations regarding his recovery.
Leo has cancelled all his public audiences until October 20 as he continues his recovery.
The pope announced the discovery of the lung abnormality to the public in St Peter’s Square last Sunday, following the Angelus prayer, explaining that a routine medical examination had revealed a nodule that doctors recommended should be removed.
