Papstgenesung: Vatikan: Papst kann Krankenhaus verlassen

Papst Leo XIV. has left the Gemelli hospital just a few days after undergoing cancer surgery, according to the Vatican. The head of the Catholic Church is set to return to the Vatican and speak the Angelus prayer on Sunday, the Vatican announced. According to doctors, Pope Leo had his right lung's lower lobe with a malignant tumor removed on Tuesday.

Pope Leo's recovery appears to be progressing well, as he even spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin the day before and requested a ceasefire in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky. The Vatican press service revealed that the decision to discharge the Pope was based on new examination results from his doctors. "He will leave the hospital early this afternoon and return to the Vatican," the statement said.

Earlier reports on the Pope's recovery have been positive, stating that he underwent a blood test and a chest X-ray on Friday, with an "ongoing improvement in his health condition" noted. In the Gemelli hospital, the Catholic Church's top leader celebrated a Mass with some staff members, even after being treated and operated on in the clinic's dedicated wing for the Pope in northwest Rome.

Upon release, Pope Leo engaged in physiotherapy to assist with breathing, as per the bulletin, and is able to "fully independently carry out his routine daily activities." Additional information remains unavailable, leaving unclear whether the Pope is now cancer-free. The removed tumor was a lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.

Experts had stated shortly after surgery that a positive outlook was realistic. In the best-case scenario, only follow-up care would be needed, said Jürgen Behr from the chair of clinical pneumology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU). For patients, losing a lung lobe does not pose a significant risk, typically causing a 10 to 20 percent reduction in lung function that goes unnoticed in daily life.

Torsten Bauer, chief of pneumology at the Helios Emil von Behring Hospital in Berlin, agreed that if Pope Leo's lung function was normal before the operation, the loss of the lung lobe would not affect him. Still, the size of the tumor, the presence of other nodules in the lung lobe, and the involvement of lymph nodes remain unclear - all factors that experts say are crucial for further prognoses.

The follow-up treatment required after discharge is expected to be determined after further examinations, particularly regarding whether metastases have formed in the lungs or other organs. It is also still unknown if Pope Leo will be able to embark on a nearly two-week trip to South America as planned in November.