Pope Leo returns to Vatican, four days after lung cancer surgery
Pope Leo XIV greets a doctor as he leaves Agostino Gemelli University Hospital after lung surgery on October 17, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Pope Leo XIV departed a Rome hospital where he underwent surgery for lung cancer to return to the Vatican amid a crowd of well-wishers, responding to a question on how he was by saying, "I am much better, thank you."
Big picture view:
As he departed, Leo, 71, and his surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, met with those who assembled outside Gemelli Hospital, including a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl who gave him a homemade papal doll that she said helped her through her own successful cancer treatment. The young teen told reporters she briefly met the pontiff last December during an audience at St. Peter’s Square and the encounter "gave her the strength to overcome the illness."
Dig deeper:
Leo’s trip home comes only four days after the lower lobe of his right lung was removed on Tuesday. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. Both Leo’s personal physician and surgeon have described a good postoperative recovery for the pope, saying he has resumed "normal daily activities."
On Friday, the Vatican released images of Leo standing at an altar in the hospital chapel and indicated that the pope had presided over the liturgy alone and distributed Communion to medical personnel and Vatican gendarmes.
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What's next:
Leo is scheduled to resume some of his responsibilities on Sunday when he greets worshipers with the traditional Angelus blessing. His next major engagement is scheduled from Nov. 6 to 17, when the pope will head to Latin America for a trip that includes a dozen flights and two helicopter trips. The Vatican’s plans for the trip appear to be proceeding as officials published Friday the list of journalists who will be traveling on Leo’s plane.
As far as the surgery, doctors are now waiting for the test results that will help them determine the cancer’s molecular and genetic makeup, to see if it has spread past the lobe and if further treatment is necessary.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.