Pope Leo XIV discharged from hospital in Rome after cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV was discharged from a hospital in Rome on Saturday afternoon after undergoing a surgery to remove part of his right lung, where doctors discovered a cancerous growth. Leo, 71, walked out of the hospital unaided to loud cheers from the crowd waiting to greet him on his recovery.

As he came out of the hospital he shook hands with a group of Franciscan friars and stopped to speak to a 13-year-old girl named Varvara from Ukraine who has been in Italy for cancer treatment.

Leo, the first US-born leader of the Roman Catholic church, was in Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic in northwest Rome, since Tuesday, when doctors removed part of his right lung in order to extract the tumour.

His doctors after conducting blood tests and chest imaging said the Pope was well enough to return home and perform normal daily activities independently.

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“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,” read the statement released by the hospital.

The pontiff celebrated mass in his room on the 10th-floor of the Gemelli hospital before being discharged.

The private hospital has a longstanding association with the Vatican, and the admission marked the first hospital stay of Leo's papacy. The 71-year-old pope had informed worshippers gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday that doctors had discovered a ‘nodule’ in his lung and recommended its removal. Leo said the growth had been detected ‘at a very early stage’ and was ‘well-contained.’

Pope Francis also spent an extended period at the hospital early last year while receiving treatment for pneumonia.

Following the operation, Leo cancelled all public engagements until October 20.