Pope Leo returns to Vatican after lung cancer surgery

What the report says

Pope Leo XIV has returned to the Vatican after undergoing lung cancer surgery in Rome, Al Jazeera reported. The US-born pope left Gemelli University Hospital four days after doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung. According to the article, the operation confirmed adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer, and doctors said his condition was showing continued improvement.

Al Jazeera said Leo told people he was feeling “much better” as he departed the hospital on Saturday. Onlookers gathered outside the facility in Rome, and the Vatican said he thanked medical staff for caring for patients and for the treatment he received himself. Since the surgery, he has also continued limited activity, including a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meetings with senior aides and celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel.

The pope is expected to resume some duties on Sunday with the Angelus blessing, the Church’s traditional public prayer. His recovery matters because his next major trip, a visit to Latin America in mid-November, is approaching and would require substantial travel. As background, Pope Leo is the first pope from the United States and has spent much of his life working in South America; he is also a naturalized Peruvian citizen.