Leo XIV is discharged from the hospital and will return to the Vatican this afternoon.

Leo XIV is discharged from the hospital and will return to the Vatican October 17, 2026The Pope Leo XIV was discharged from the hospital this Saturday (10/17/2026) and will leave Gemelli Hospital in Rome early in the afternoon where he underwent surgery for a pulmonary adenocarcinoma, according to the Vatican press office. "According to blood tests, the chest X-ray taken this morning, and the evaluation of the clinical situation, His Holiness is considered fit to be discharged" wrote his doctors, Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora, in a note transmitted by the Vatican. He will pray the Angelus tomorrow After five days of hospitalization, the pontiff will return to the Vatican early in the afternoon and "tomorrow he will pray the Angelus from the window of the papal apartments". Usually, popes lead the Sunday prayer from one of the windows of the Apostolic Palace, looking towards St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. In previous years, Popes John Paul II and Francis prayed it from the window of the Gemelli Hospital when they were there admitted. Yesterday Friday, the Vatican released the first photographs of the Pope after the operation, images in which he is seen, appearing in good condition, celebrating mass in the hospital with his personal secretary, the Peruvian Edgar Rimaycuna. He also had a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin. Successful removal of lung cancer On Sunday, October 11, Leo XIV publicly announced from the window of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican that he had to undergo surgery to remove a nodule in a lung. The pontiff's intervention took place on the afternoon of the 13th, in an operation that lasted 90 minutes in which an adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer, as well as the lower lobe of the right lung were removed using a video-assisted surgery technique, a "radical" technique to remove the cancerous tissue. Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you trust this site for reliable information, please take a moment to select us as your preferred source on Google: click here and check the box or press the DW.com button to always see our verified news in your preferences. lgc (efe, afp)