Pope Leo XIV is back at the Vatican: the stages of his hospital stay

Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican today after his discharge from Rome's Agostino Gemelli Hospital. From the announcement at the Angelus on 11 October to his discharge, here are the stages of his hospital stay, according to statements from the Holy See Press Office.

11 October. At the end of the Angelus the Pope announces that doctors have found a nodule on his lung, "detected at a very early stage and well localised," and that he has decided to undergo surgery.

13 October. Admission to the Gemelli and surgery. The diagnosis is a pulmonary adenocarcinoma: doctors remove the lower lobe of the right lung using a video-assisted technique. According to the bulletin, the intraoperative histological examination confirms the diagnosis, and the operation "was successful and there were no complications".

14 October. Recovery proceeds normally. The Pope does respiratory physiotherapy, starts walking again and resumes eating; in the afternoon he concelebrates Mass in a room set up on the tenth floor (our report).

15 October. He resumes work from his room on the tenth floor and receives Paolo Rudelli, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, in his first working meeting since his admission (A Pope at work from the tenth floor). Doctors report a "good recovery of the operated lung" (the bulletin).

16 October. Tests confirm the "steady improvement" in his general condition (statement). The Pope celebrates Mass in hospital and the first photos are released (the Pope improves). He phones Putin to call for a truce in Oleshky (the call) and receives Tagle and Reina.

17 October. Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora judge him "fit for discharge" (statement). At noon today, as yesterday, the Pope is celebrating Mass in the room specially set up on the tenth floor of the Gemelli (Vatican News). At around 15:30, according to Rai News 24's live footage, the Pope leaves the Gemelli, greeting doctors, staff and the crowd, before the expected week in hospital, and returns to the Vatican. Tomorrow at noon he will pray the Angelus from the window of the papal apartment (the article).

All updates in our live blog.

Source: Holy See Press Office.

#LeoXIV #PopeLeo #Vatican