Pope Leo Discharged From Hospital After Lung Cancer Surgery

Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Saturday, five days after surgery on his right lung for adenocarcinoma, a type of non-small cell lung cancer, according to NBC News.

When did the Pope leave the hospital?

The 71-year-old pontiff walked out of Gemelli unaided on Saturday afternoon, spending a few minutes with well-wishers outside the building before being driven back to the Vatican, NBC News reported. He appeared to accept a gift of a homemade smiling figure of himself before getting into his car. The Holy See Press Office said in a statement that Leo's discharge followed "the conclusions reached by the medical team" that morning.

What surgery did Pope Leo undergo?

Leo had been admitted to Gemelli on Tuesday for surgery on his right lung. Doctors diagnosed the adenocarcinoma after examining a nodule removed during the operation, according to NBC News. His personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and his surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, said blood tests and a chest X-ray performed Saturday morning showed the Holy Father was "fit for discharge." Neither the doctors nor the Vatican have said whether the cancer had spread, and no further treatment has been announced, per NBC News.

How long will his recovery take?

Margaritora told Vatican News the pope could be fully recovered in about 10 days.

"There are no clinical reasons" preventing the pontiff from making his planned trip to Latin America next month, Dr. Stefano Margaritora said, according to NBC News.

What has the Vatican said about his condition in the hospital?

The Vatican released the first images of Leo since his operation on Friday, showing him celebrating Mass in a makeshift chapel set up inside the hospital. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope presided over the liturgy alone and distributed Communion to medical staff and Vatican gendarmes, NBC News reported. Doctors said tests that day confirmed the "continued improvement" in his recovery. Leo, a Chicago native, had also resumed working from the hospital on Thursday, according to his doctors and the Vatican.

What happens next?

Leo is expected to appear at the window of the papal apartment at St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday to recite the Angelus prayer, the Holy See Press Office said. That appearance will be the public's first look at the pope since his discharge.

What to watch

• Sunday's Angelus prayer — Leo's scheduled window appearance at St. Peter's Basilica will be an early gauge of his public recovery.
• The Latin America trip — Margaritora said there is no clinical reason to postpone the pontiff's planned visit next month.
• Future medical updates — The Vatican has not said whether the cancer had spread or whether further treatment will be needed; any additional statement from Gemelli or the Holy See Press Office would answer that question.

NBC News has not reported additional details on staging or follow-up oncology treatment as of Saturday's discharge.

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