Pope Leo XIV has returned to the Vatican after leaving Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital on Saturday, October 17. He was discharged four days after surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung, and earlier than the Holy See had first said.
The 71-year-old pontiff, the first American-born pope in the Church’s history, left through the hospital’s main entrance at about 3:30 p.m. local time. A large crowd cheered him. His motorcade reached Vatican City at 3:43 p.m.
On Sunday he appeared at the window of the Apostolic Palace to lead the Angelus prayer. It was his first public appearance since the operation.
What the surgery involved
The pope was admitted to Gemelli on October 13, the day of the operation. Surgeons carried out a 90-minute, video-assisted procedure and removed the lower lobe of his right lung. After the operation, the Vatican said the tumour was a lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. More tests on the removed tissue were planned. The results, and any prognosis, have not been made public.
His chief surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, said the tumour was found “entirely accidentally.” The pope had no symptoms. The growth sat at the base of the lung. Margaritora said that had it been “a little higher up, it certainly would not have been seen.”
Doctors often point to that kind of chance discovery as the best case for lung cancer. Tumours caught early, before they spread, can often be removed outright with surgery.
A faster recovery than expected
The Holy See Press Office had first said the pope would stay in hospital for about a week, with discharge expected around October 20. He recovered faster than that.
- Thursday: he resumed some work from his hospital room.
- Friday: he celebrated Mass in a small hospital chapel, and again on Saturday. He also spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the humanitarian situation in Oleshky, in Ukraine. He met Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Cardinal Baldassare Reina.
- Saturday: his personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and Dr. Margaritora declared him fit for discharge, based on blood tests, a chest X-ray and a clinical assessment.
Margaritora said a full physical recovery usually takes a couple of weeks. He estimated the pope could be fully recovered in about ten more days.
A tender moment on the way out
As he left, the pope stopped to talk with Varvara, a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl being treated for cancer in Rome. She thanked him for an earlier embrace that she said had given her strength before her own surgery, due in December. She handed him a photo of that hug and a small felt doll made in his likeness. He then waved to well-wishers from his car as the motorcade pulled away.
“I have truly sensed your support”
Thousands gathered under cloudy skies in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday and cheered loudly when the pope appeared at the window.
“I would like to thank all those who have prayed for me in recent days. I have truly sensed your support,” he said. He said he would “gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers.”
The pope said the experience had made him feel “particularly close to all those who are living with illness or infirmity.” He thanked the doctors, nurses and staff at Gemelli. He also marked the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday, praying “that the Church may always remain faithful to the mandate of the Risen Lord.”
South America trip still on
The pope is due to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in early November. Margaritora said there is “no clinical reason” to cancel. On Friday the Vatican released its list of journalists accredited to travel with him, a sign the trip is going ahead as planned.
Why it matters to Nigerian Catholics
Nigeria has one of the largest Catholic populations in Africa. Parishes across the country, and Nigerian congregations abroad, have offered prayers for the pope’s recovery this week. His quick return to public duties will reassure the faithful.
Questions remain about his long-term health, and the Vatican has not yet released the full pathology results. Flashinfong will keep following his recovery and his upcoming travels.