Pope discharged from hospital days after lung cancer surgery — SkimNews
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- Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital four days after surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his lung, walking unaided to his waiting car and stopping to greet well-wishers
- The 90-minute Tuesday operation removed the lower lobe of the 71-year-old pontiff's right lung; further tests to check whether the cancer has spread have not yet been announced
- Doctors reported blood tests and a chest X-ray showed "steady improvement," and the Pope will deliver the traditional Angelus prayer and blessing in St Peter's Square on Sunday
- Pope Leo XIV spoke to Vladimir Putin on Friday — their first call since June 2025 — urging "dialogue and peace" as Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian cities intensifies
- The Pope called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshkiy to allow evacuations and urgent delivery of food and medicine, after reports of residents being forced to eat garden weeds
- His public schedule has been cleared completely until 20 October, though aides said he is determined not to delay an early-November trip to Latin America that includes Peru, where he previously served as a missionary
Why it matters: The 71-year-old pontiff's rapid four-day recovery means he can deliver Sunday's Angelus blessing as planned, but pending cancer-spread test results leave the early-November trip to Peru — where he was a longtime missionary — and any further treatment decisions unresolved.
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