Pope Leo XIV Needs No Further Treatment After Surgery — SkimNews
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- Pope Leo XIV underwent a 90-minute operation on 13 October to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after doctors found a nodule that he said had been caught at an early stage.
- The Vatican said tests on the removed tissue confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, matching the initial diagnosis, and showed that the disease was localised.
- Pope Leo XIV's doctors said a subsequent oncological assessment found that no further treatment was necessary.
- Gemelli Hospital discharged the 71-year-old pontiff four days after the operation, and he stopped to speak with well-wishers as he left the hospital grounds.
- Pope Leo XIV returned to St Peter's Square on Wednesday for his first weekly general audience since leaving the hospital.
- Pope Leo XIV was described by those close to him as keen not to delay a trip to Latin America planned for early November.
Why it matters: For Pope Leo XIV, the material change after the 13 October operation is concrete: no further treatment is required. Discharge four days later and a return to the weekly audience mark a shift from hospital care back to public duties, while the early-November Latin America visit is described only as planned.
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