Pope Leo released from hospital following successful lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV was released from a Rome hospital on Saturday after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. The 71-year-old pontiff interacted with supporters outside the facility, telling them that he was feeling “much better.”

Leo was discharged from Agostino Gemelli University Hospital just four days after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung following a lung cancer diagnosis. He was discharged three days before originally planned, with the Vatican saying he would be present for a noonday prayer from a window at the Apostolic Palace on Sunday. However, public audiences have been cancelled until October 20.

On October 11, thousands were seen at St. Peter’s Square for Sunday noon prayer when Leo announced he would be having the operation. The announcement surprised many, as the Catholic Church has traditionally kept details of the pope’s health private.

The Vatican said on Thursday that Leo “underwent routine checks, which yielded normal results,” and that “the chest X-ray showed good recovery of the lung that underwent surgery.”

According to a report by the New York Post, the Rev. Patrick Flanagan, chair of St. John’s University’s theology department, explained that Catholic Church law does not provide a clear mechanism for temporarily transferring papal authority if a pope becomes unable to perform his duties because of medical issues.

“Church law does not provide for any emergency situations. If a pope were to be incapacitated, get sick, get dementia or be in the hospital for a period of time, there’s no real indication of who would be in charge,” Flanagan said. “One of the beautiful things about the Catholic Church is that it’s a well-run organization. Everyone has a place and everyone knows the responsibility. So the church continues.”

Flanagan also suggested that the American-born pope may be more committed to transparency about his health.

“One of his American traits is that he wants to be as transparent as he can be with the people of God in front of him. So I think he’s trying to balance transparency with privacy,” he said. “For someone to tell you about their vulnerability is pretty remarkable … because, you’re not even two years into your job and you’re already dealing with health issues. And people are starting to worry — will this impact the rest of his pontificate?”