Pope Leo XIV is finally back on his feet. The Vatican confirmed Saturday that the Pope was discharged from the hospital following a successful surgery to remove a cancerous nodule from his lung.
The recovery path
It’s been a week since the news dropped on October 11 that he needed the procedure. Doctors ended up removing the lower lobe of his right lung, but the vibes were looking up almost immediately. By Tuesday, the Vatican reported that he was already walking and eating, and his latest blood work and chest X-rays came back totally normal.
"In light of the blood tests and chest X-ray performed this morning, and following an assessment of his clinical condition, the Holy Father has been deemed fit for discharge," the Holy See Press Office shared in a statement from his doctors, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora.
Why it matters
This is a massive W for the Vatican. The diagnosis lowkey caused a global freakout among Catholics, with support pouring in from everywhere—including a care package from his hometown of Chicago that featured a White Sox blanket. This discharge means his packed travel schedule is back on, and it stops all the chatter about a leadership vacuum at the top. While we don't know yet if he'll need any follow-up treatments, the prognosis for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma is usually super solid.
