Pope Leo to be released from the hospital Saturday

Pope Leo XIV will be released from a Rome hospital on Saturday, the Vatican announced, four days after lung cancer surgery. The 71-year-old had the lower lobe of his right lung removed after doctors found a suspected cancerous nodule; the operation confirmed adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. His physician and surgeon said he is considered fit for discharge based on blood-test results and a chest X-ray done Saturday morning, plus an assessment of his condition. Leo is expected to leave early afternoon and return to the Vatican, then deliver the traditional Sunday noon blessing from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican said oncology testing is still pending to determine the tumor’s molecular and genetic profile and whether it spread.