Just four days after undergoing a 90-minute surgical procedure to remove a cancerous growth from his lung, Pope Leo XIV is preparing to leave Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon, in a faster-than-expected recovery that has surprised observers globally.
The Vatican confirmed that following his discharge, the Pope will resume one of his most iconic public duties on Sunday: delivering the traditional Angelus prayer and imparting his blessing to gathered pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. This mirrors his appearance last week, when he shocked the world by publicly announcing his upcoming surgery ahead of the procedure.
On Friday, official photographs were released showing the Pope leading Mass and distributing Holy Communion to hospital staff within his room, offering a visible sign of his improving condition. A formal statement released by his medical team confirmed that routine blood work and a post-operative chest X-ray have documented “steady improvement” in the 80-some-year-old pontiff’s health following Tuesday’s procedure, which removed the lower lobe of his right lung. At this time, results from additional testing to check for any spread of the cancer remain pending.
Beyond his recovery, the Pope held a high-profile diplomatic call on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, their first conversation since June 2025. The Vatican confirmed the core focus of the call was an urgent push for “dialogue and peace” amid a sharp escalation of Russian airstrikes across multiple Ukrainian cities, which has driven a sharp rise in civilian casualties and shown no indication that the Kremlin is preparing to end its full-scale invasion.
In a specific appeal tied to the ongoing conflict, Pope Leo also called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshkiy, where relentless shelling has trapped civilians and cut off access to basic supplies. Recent reporting from the BBC has documented the extreme desperation of Oleshkiy residents, who have reportedly been forced to eat weeds grown in home gardens to avoid starvation.
The pontiff’s public schedule had been fully cleared through October 20, so his rapid return to public life comes as a welcome surprise to millions of Catholic faithful around the world, who have been anxious for updates on his health.
Close associates of the Pope have noted that he is eager to move forward with a planned apostolic trip to Latin America scheduled for early November, which includes a stop in Peru — the country where he served as a missionary for decades prior to his election to the papacy. As of Saturday, it remains unconfirmed whether the pontiff will be medically cleared to undertake the international trip, or if he will need to adjust his schedule to accommodate further cancer treatment.