Pope Leo XIV was expected to leave Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, and return to the Vatican after doctors determined he was well enough to be discharged, according to a Holy See statement. The announcement said he would depart in the early afternoon. The following day, he was scheduled to lead the Angelus prayer from a window of the papal apartment.
Vatican News reported that the pope had blood tests and a chest X-ray on Saturday, and that the results supported his discharge. Before leaving, he was expected to celebrate Mass in a room on the hospital’s 10th floor, according to the Holy See press office.
Leo underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove a cancerous node in his right lung. The Holy See press office said the operation was successful and involved no complications. According to its account, the pope spent about three hours in the operating room, while the procedure itself lasted around 90 minutes. Doctors diagnosed him with lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer, after the surgery.
Vatican News said Leo awoke normally after the operation and returned to his hospital room following a short period of observation. The Holy See’s discharge announcement followed the doctors’ assessment that morning; the source material did not provide further details about his treatment plan or prognosis.
While recovering in hospital, Leo also spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about conditions in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky, according to a Vatican statement. The pope voiced concern about the humanitarian situation in the city, in the Kherson region, and called for a ceasefire to allow food and medical assistance to reach residents and for civilians to be evacuated voluntarily and safely. The statement said Leo reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to dialogue and peace.
The source material, citing earlier Fox News Digital reporting, said Russia has controlled Oleshky since May and that humanitarian food deliveries had not been permitted. It also described the city as lacking electricity, gas and running water, with a hospital that was barely functional. Those conditions were presented as background to the pope’s appeal; the supplied material did not include a response from Russia to the ceasefire request.
The report said Fox News Digital contacted the Holy See for additional comment. The details about the pope’s discharge, surgery and planned activities were attributed to Vatican or Holy See statements and Vatican News.
