Pope Leo XIV was discharged on Saturday, October 17, from the Rome-based Gemelli Polyclinic and returned to the papal apartment in the Vatican, the Holy See Press Office announced. On Sunday he is to lead the Angelus prayer.
That morning, the Pope’s physicians, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Prof. Stefano Margaritora, said through the Holy See Press Office that after morning blood tests and a chest X-ray, Leo XIV’s clinical condition allowed him to leave the hospital. According to the statement, the Pope was to leave the clinic in the early afternoon.
As Vatican News reported, before leaving, the Pope celebrated Mass in the chapel on the 10th floor of Gemelli. In the Press Office statement, he thanked Prof. Margaritora, who performed the surgery, as well as the entire team of doctors and nurses. He also said goodbye to the staff, the rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Prof. Elena Beccalli, and the hospital management.
Vatican News post about the Pope’s return to the Vatican:
Surgery on Tuesday, diagnosis: adenocarcinoma
The Pope was admitted to Gemelli on Tuesday, October 13. The procedure had been announced earlier, after it was announced that doctors had detected a lesion in the lung. As the Vatican said, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. A histological examination during the operation confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma that doctors had expected based on pre-operative tests. According to the statement, the first information after the procedure indicated it had been successful and without complications; we reported on this after the Vatican’s first statement.
On Thursday, doctors said an X-ray showed “good regeneration” of the operated lung, Euronews reported, citing a statement from the Holy See. The hospital stay lasted five days, from Tuesday to Saturday.
Sunday's Angelus
The Press Office announced that on Sunday, October 18, at 12:00 noon, the Pope will lead the Angelus prayer from the window of his studio in the Apostolic Palace. It will be his first announced appearance since leaving the hospital. Earlier, on Friday, October 16, he celebrated Mass at Gemelli for the hospital staff, and on the same day, according to the Vatican, he spoke by phone with Putin.
The statements do not specify how long the recovery will last or when the Pope will return to his full schedule of audiences and trips. The Press Office also did not say whether further treatment is planned after discharge. The Pope is 71 years old.
What it means
For the faithful in Poland and around the world, the nearest concrete event is Sunday’s Angelus, usually broadcast by Vatican News and Catholic television channels. Further updates on the Pope’s health and plans will be issued by the Holy See Press Office.
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