The Vatican had initially estimated a weeklong hospital stay and canceled his audiences through Tuesday. Experts said patients could be discharged earlier depending on their recovery.

Pope Leo XIV is being released from the hospital on Saturday, four days after lung cancer surgery, and will deliver the traditional noon blessing on Sunday.

Pope Leo XIV is being released from the hospital on Saturday, four days after lung cancer surgery, and will deliver the traditional noon blessing on Sunday.

The Vatican says Pope Leo has lung cancer and that doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in a surgery that lasted roughly 90 minutes. In a statement, the Vatican called the operation "successful" and said there were "no complications." For more on the Pope's prognosis, Geoff Bennett spoke with Dr. Omer Awan, a physician and senior public health contributor at Forbes.

The 71-year-old Leo returned to his room after the surgery at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, according to a statement from the Vatican spokesman.

The 71-year-old Leo returned to his room after the surgery at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, according to a statement from the Vatican spokesman.

The tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery.

Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to have an operation this week to remove “a localized nodule” in his lung that was “detected at a very early stage.”

Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to have an operation this week to remove “a localized nodule” in his lung that was “detected at a very early stage.”

In a post on X, the American pope quoted the revised Catholic teaching on capital punishment that the death penalty attacks the inherent dignity of a human being

In a post on X, the American pope quoted the revised Catholic teaching on capital punishment that the death penalty attacks the inherent dignity of a human being