Pope diagnosed with adenocarcinoma after lower lobe resection

A portrait of Pope Leo XIV is placed before a statue of John Paul II outside Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, Italy, on Saturday. Pope Leo XIV is recovering at the hospital following lung surgery. [EPA]
A portrait of Pope Leo XIV is placed before a statue of John Paul II outside Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, Italy, on Saturday. Pope Leo XIV is recovering at the hospital following lung surgery. [EPA]

Pope Leo XIV is set to be discharged Saturday (local time), Vatican News, the Holy See's media outlet, said.

Medical staff at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome said the pope underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray Saturday morning, and that his condition was good enough for discharge, according to Vatican News.

The Vatican said in a separate statement that the pope would leave the hospital Saturday afternoon and return to the Holy See.

He is expected to lead the Angelus prayer at St. Peter's Square on Sunday — his first public appearance since being admitted Oct. 13. The pope had been hospitalized after a pulmonary nodule was detected, underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of one lung, and was subsequently diagnosed with pulmonary adenocarcinoma through a biopsy.

Whether the surgery will allow him to proceed with a planned South American tour — scheduled for Nov. 6 through Nov. 17 and covering Uruguay, Argentina and Peru — remains uncertain.

Leo XIV, who turns 71 this year, is considered relatively young compared to his predecessors when he became pope. He enjoys sports including tennis and has no significant prior medical history.


ehkim@heraldcorp.com