Pope Leo XIV Leaves Hospital After Lung Cancer Surgery
Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital early Saturday afternoon, according to Vatican News. Professor Stefano Margaritora and Dr. Luigi Carbone confirmed via blo… — by Sandra Rhodes
FaithTap · Oct 18, 2026 · 1 min read
By Sandra Rhodes (/journals/sandra-rhodes)
Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital early Saturday afternoon, according to Vatican News.
Professor Stefano Margaritora and Dr. Luigi Carbone confirmed via blood tests and a chest X-ray that the pope was healthy enough to be discharged.
The pope’s first public appearance is expected Sunday, when he will lead prayers from his Vatican apartment for those gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Reuters reported.
On Tuesday, the pope underwent surgery to remove a “small, localized nodule.”
During the procedure, the surgical team, led by Margaritora, removed part of the lower lobe of his right lung.
Further testing confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
“An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations,” his doctors said in a statement.