Pope Leo XIV Returns to Vatican After Lung Cancer Surgery; Set to Lead Sunday Angelus Prayer

Pope Leo XIV has returned to the Vatican after undergoing lung-cancer surgery, the Holy See confirmed, setting up an emotional moment as the 71-year-old pontiff prepares to lead Sunday’s Angelus prayer. The Pope was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday, October 17 — just four days after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung.

Discharged after four days

Surgeons performed a 90-minute operation on Tuesday, October 13, at the Gemelli Hospital, after which a pulmonary adenocarcinoma — lung cancer — was confirmed. On Saturday, doctors declared the first American pope fit enough to leave the hospital following blood tests and a chest X-ray. In a sign of his recovery, the pontiff walked out of the hospital unaided and returned to his Vatican residence.

What happens next

Pope Leo XIV is expected to lead the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer, his first major public appearance since the operation. Uncertainty hangs over his planned trip to Latin America scheduled for November 6–17, with the Vatican yet to confirm whether it will go ahead. Remarkably, the Pope had even held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin from his hospital bed during his stay — a detail that underscored how seriously he took his duties even while recovering.

Sources: CNN, Anadolu Agency (both published October 17, 2026); corroborated by USA Today and People. Background on the surgery reported earlier on Niazi TV News (WP 375).