Pope Leo XIV cleared for discharge from hospital, Vatican says

Pope Leo XIV has been approved to leave the hospital following surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his lung, according to a Vatican announcement on Saturday. The Pope was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for the procedure on his right lung, as confirmed by a statement from the Vatican press office. The Pope will depart the hospital in the early afternoon and make his way back to the Vatican.

He is set to deliver the Angelus prayer from the window of his papal apartment the following day. Doctors confirmed the discharge decision following blood tests and a chest X-ray that verified the Pope's fitness to be discharged. The 71-year-old pontiff has been recuperating in Rome's Gemelli hospital since the surgery on Tuesday.

Initially, the Vatican disclosed that the lower lobe of the right lung was removed during the operation and that a pulmonary adenocarcinoma was diagnosed, as previously suspected from pre-operative tests. The Holy Father spent approximately 3 hours in the operating room, with the surgery itself lasting around 90 minutes. The procedure was successful, with no complications reported, according to the Vatican. On Thursday, doctors reported that a chest X-ray showed a positive recovery of the affected lung.