Pope Leo returns to Vatican four days after cancer surgery

VATICAN CITY - A smiling Pope Leo left hospital in Rome on Saturday afternoon and returned to the Vatican four days after surgery for lung cancer, an illness that has prompted speculation about how his 17-month papacy might change.

The pope walked unaided to his waiting car, waving to well-wishers outside Rome's Gemelli Hospital. He stopped to speak to a 13-year-old girl named Varvara from Ukraine who has been in Italy for cancer treatment.

Leo, 71, was pictured smiling broadly and waving through an open window when his black SUV left the hospital grounds. He appeared in good spirits as he left the hospital in video released by the Vatican.

He shook hands with a group of Franciscan friars, one of whom said: "This is the second time (we have met). Let's hope there will be a third and fourth."

The pope laughed and replied: "Many times, but not for these reasons."

Prayers on Sunday

His doctors had said earlier on Saturday that he was well enough to return home after they carried out the latest blood tests and chest imaging, and that he was able to perform normal daily activities independently.

Leo, who had an operation on Tuesday to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, will hold his first public engagement since surgery when he will lead weekly prayers with pilgrims from his apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square at noon (1000 GMT) on Sunday.

He has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. The diagnosis for a pope known to be relatively young and energetic and who was elected only in May 2025 caused shock and raised questions about the future shape of his papacy.

The pope's doctors have said his surgery was completed successfully, without complications. They have not yet disclosed the size of the tumor or whether the disease had spread to nearby lymph nodes, key factors in determining prognosis.

South American trip

Dr. Stefano Margaritora, the pope's lead surgeon, said that Leo could be fully recovered in another 10 days and that there was no reason to call off his planned visit to South America next month.

"As for a long trip involving air travel in about three weeks, I would say there are no clinical reasons why it should not take place," he told the Vatican News website.

Leo is planning to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, in one of the most intense trips arranged for a pope in decades.

Margaritora said the tumor had been discovered by chance during what he called a routine abdominal examination.

The Vatican signaled on Friday that Leo, known for following a busy schedule, intended to keep up his commitments, as some cardinals began to publicly express concern about the pope's health.

In a sign the pope was back to work, Leo held a phone call on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging a ceasefire to help get vital supplies into Oleshky, a Russian-controlled Ukrainian town.

Lebanese pilgrim Abdul Halim Fatha was in St. Peter's Square as Leo arrived back at the Vatican and expressed sadness over the pope's cancer diagnosis. "But I know God will be with him and protect him," he said. —Reuters