VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will be released from the hospital on Saturday, four days after lung cancer surgery, and will deliver the traditional Sunday noon blessing from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced. Leo, 71, had the lower lobe of his right lung removed after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. Surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. His personal doctor and surgeon said in a separate statement that Leo was “considered fit to be discharged from the hospital” based on the results of blood tests and a chest X-ray taken Saturday morning along with an evaluation of his clinical condition. He will leave the hospital in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican, the Vatican said in a brief statement. With remarkable transparency, Leo announced last Sunday to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square that doctors had identified a nodule in his lung and that it would be removed. Get the latest national news Get the latest Canadian news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you don’t miss any breaking news. Since Tuesday’s surgery that confirmed the cancer diagnosis, Leo has given strong indications that he was recovering well, including holding a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with his top advisers and celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel. Replacement medical bulletins from his personal physician and surgeon also indicated a good postoperative recovery that had allowed him to carry out “normal daily activities completely on his own.” while doctors said that tests confirmed his “continuous improvement.” Leo presided alone over the liturgy, distributing Communion to the medical staff and Vatican gendarmes present, said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. He also gave a homily in which he thanked the hospital staff “for the work they do every day caring for the sick in their fragility, and in particular for what they have done for him,” Bruni said. More about the world More videos The Vatican had initially estimated a hospital stay of one week and had canceled its audiences until Tuesday. Bruni said the discharge date depended on the Pope’s doctors. The next big item on the Pope’s agenda is a trip to Latin America from November 6 to 17, giving Leo three more weeks of recovery before embarking on the ambitious trip that includes a dozen flights and two helicopter rides. The Vatican has signaled that it is all systems go, publishing the names of journalists accredited to fly on Leo’s plane on Friday. And cancer surgeons say protocols generally clear patients to fly after three weeks, as long as recovery allows. Doctors are still waiting for test results to understand the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe, and whether any additional treatment is necessary. © 2026 The Canadian Press