Pope Leo the 14th was discharged this Saturday (17) from the Agostino Gemelli hospital, in Rome, after four days in hospital to remove a malignant tumor from his lung. According to doctors, the decision was made after satisfactory results from tests carried out in the morning.
The discharge takes place before the date initially scheduled for Leão to leave the hospital, next Tuesday. This Sunday (18), he will celebrate the Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace, in Saint Peter's Square, as usual.
Leão left the hospital walking and spoke briefly with faithful at the entrance before getting into official cars and heading to the Vatican.
"In consideration of the blood tests and radiological control of the chest, carried out this morning, and evaluating the clinical picture, the Holy Father was considered fit for discharge", says the medical bulletin signed by the pope's doctor, Luigi Carbone, and surgeon Stefano Margaritora.
In the procedure carried out on Tuesday (13), the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique. According to the medical team, the first histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, that is, lung cancer. Robert Prevost is 71 years old and had no known health problems.
The bulletins released throughout the week reported a recovery that was progressing well. On Friday (16), he was informed that he carried out day-to-day activities with complete autonomy.
The pope resumed part of the work and received cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle, recently chosen as dean of the College of Cardinals, and Baldo Reina, vicar for the dioceses of Rome.
Also on Friday, he spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a great sign to the world that Leo 14 continues to be active and attentive to events, despite his hospitalization.
In the conversation, according to the Vatican, the pope expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, in the Kherson region. And he called for a "truce to allow the arrival of food and health aid and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population."
In the coming days, the result of the analysis of the tumor removed from the lung is expected to understand what therapy or medical follow-up will be recommended to the Pope.
The announcement of the diagnosis and treatment could influence the progress of the pontificate, until now marked by a prudent pace of Leo 14. Elected a year and a half ago by the cardinals, at the age of 69, the expectation was of a long papacy, without a sense of urgency for his achievements.
"It was a hard blow. The idea was that this pope, elected young compared to his predecessors, would be immune for a certain number of years to health problems and that he could be counted on for what he does inside, but especially outside the Church, such as for peace", says Massimo Faggioli, professor in the theology department at Villanova University, in the USA.
The reaction of the pope and the Vatican machine itself regarding the new scenario raises doubts about whether the pace of achievements and the agenda will need to become slower, to account for possible treatments, or, on the contrary, it will become more accelerated.
"Of course there is now more uncertainty. It is not in the public domain what the next weeks and months will mean for the pope as a patient", says Faggioli, author of the book "Leão 14 and the global Church", still unpublished in Brazil.
One possibility, according to the professor, is that the list of priorities will change. "One could be related to the cardinals, since he hasn't announced his yet. It could be something that happens in the next few months," he says. The last consistory to create new cardinals was in December 2024, by Pope Francis.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin himself, Secretary of State of the Holy See, made reference to a possible adaptation of the papacy for the near future. "It is now a matter of seeing when and in what situation he will return, what the doctors will say. Based on these elements, the pope will remodel his pontificate, if necessary", he stated on Thursday (15).
In an effort to demonstrate normality, the Vatican continues to confirm the trip to South America, between November 6th and 17th, for now without details about changes to the schedule.
Another possible effect, says Professor Faggioli, is a strengthening of the personality of Leo 14, who has positioned himself in recent months on issues of peace, technology and confronting populists like Donald Trump. "He made himself heard mainly on international issues and artificial intelligence and this [health] could increase more attention in his direction."
