Pope Leo XIV Discharged From Hospital After Lung Cancer Surgery, Calls Putin for Ukraine Ceasefire
Pope Leo XIV has left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital just four days after surgeons removed a cancerous growth from his lung, walking unaided to his car and pausing to greet well-wishers gathered outside.
The Vatican confirmed the 71-year-old pontiff will deliver the traditional Angelus prayer and blessing in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the same setting where he surprised the public last week by revealing he would undergo the operation. On Friday, the Vatican released photographs of the Pope celebrating Mass and handing out communion to hospital staff during his stay. A statement from his medical team described “steady improvement” based on blood tests and a chest X-ray taken after the procedure.
The operation itself, carried out on Tuesday, took 90 minutes and involved removing the lower lobe of his right lung. Further test results to determine whether the cancer had spread had not yet been released.
A call to Putin amid Ukraine’s intensifying bombardment
Also on Friday, the Pope held his first phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin since June 2025, which the Vatican said was intended to press for “dialogue and peace.” The conversation came as Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities have escalated, with civilian casualties mounting and no indication that Putin intends to end the invasion. The Pope specifically urged a humanitarian ceasefire in the occupied city of Oleshkiy, which has endured sustained Russian shelling, to allow evacuations and the delivery of food and medicine, the BBC has previously reported that residents there have resorted to eating garden weeds to survive.
The Pope’s calendar had been cleared entirely until 20 October, making his swift return to public view an unexpected, and for many Catholics worldwide a welcome, development. People close to him say he was reluctant to see any delay to a planned trip to Latin America in early November that includes a stop in Peru, where he spent years working as a missionary. Whether he will be well enough to travel, or will need additional treatment first, remains unclear.
Source: BBC News