The Holy See said on Oct. 17 that Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital and returned to the Vatican. He is scheduled to lead the Angelus in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 18, his first public appearance since being admitted.
South Korean outlets including Kyunghyang Shinmun and Herald Business, citing Vatican News, reported that the pope underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray on the morning of Oct. 17, and that doctors at Rome's Agostino Gemelli hospital judged him fit to leave. A separate Holy See statement said he would be discharged that afternoon and go back to the Vatican.
광고 문의 · 300×250The pope was admitted on Oct. 13 over a lung nodule and had the lower lobe of his right lung removed that day. Tissue analysis confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer. Catholic World Report said the surgeon was Stefano Margaritora.
What doctors said and what the pope did in hospital
A medical bulletin issued on Oct. 15 was signed by the pope's personal physician, Luigi Carbone, and Dr. Margaritora. It said a chest X-ray showed good recovery of the operated lung, routine blood tests were normal, the pope was carrying out daily activities on his own and was doing physical therapy, and that his post-operative course was regular.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said the pope spent a few minutes in the hospital's temporary chapel on Wednesday and Thursday to concelebrate Mass with a collaborator. He kept working during his stay and on Oct. 15 signed the appointments of a bishop in Brazil and the bishop of Haimen, China, the latter named on Aug. 24 under the Holy See-China provisional agreement on bishop appointments, according to the report.
Leo had announced the planned surgery himself at the Angelus on Oct. 11, when no cancer diagnosis had been made public; the adenocarcinoma finding was disclosed after the operation. The 71-year-old pope enjoys sports such as tennis and was not known to have a significant medical history.
What comes next
The pope is due to lead the Angelus at noon in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 18. Korean media expect it to be his first public engagement since admission. Details of his recovery plan and whether further treatment is needed were not covered in the reports reviewed.
Whether his Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru will go ahead as planned also remains unclear. Catholic World Report said the Holy See had not officially confirmed any change to the itinerary, so further Vatican announcements will be needed.