Pope Leo XIV Leaves Hospital Four Days After Lung Cancer Surgery Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome's Gemelli hospital on Saturday, four days after surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, which confirmed adenocarcinoma. He will deliver the noon blessing Sunday but cancel audiences until Oct. 20. Pope Leo XIV left Rome's Gemelli hospital on Saturday, four days after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, walking out to greet dozens of well-wishers before departing in a waiting vehicle to return to the Vatican. The 71-year-old pontiff told supporters outside that he was feeling much better. The Vatican said he was set to leave in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican.Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed after doctors identified a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.His personal physician and surgeon said in a separate statement that Leo was deemed fit for discharge from the hospital based on blood test results and a chest X-ray performed Saturday morning, along with an assessment of his clinical condition.The Vatican had originally estimated a weeklong hospital stay, and canceled his audiences through Tuesday. Experts indicated that patients could be discharged earlier depending on the pace of their recovery, and Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the discharge date was up to the pope's doctors.After his release, the Vatican said Leo would still conduct noonday prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Sunday.With notable transparency, Leo announced last Sunday to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square that doctors had identified a nodule on his lung, and that it would be removed. Thousands were gathered for the noon prayer on Oct. 11 when the American-born pope made the announcement from the Apostolic Palace window.That public announcement is unprecedented, as the Catholic Church has a history of keeping the health issues of popes shrouded in secrecy.Since the surgery on Tuesday that confirmed the cancer diagnosis, Leo has given strong indications that he was recovering well, including by holding a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with top aides and celebrating Mass in a makeshift hospital chapel.Medical bulletins from his personal physician and surgeon likewise indicated a good post-operative recovery that had allowed him to carry on normal daily activities completely on his own.The Vatican on Friday released the first images of Leo since his surgery, showing him standing up at an altar in a hospital chapel in green vestments, as doctors said that tests confirmed his continued improvement.Leo presided alone over the liturgy, distributing Communion to medical personnel and Vatican gendarmes present, Bruni said. He also delivered a homily in which he thanked the hospital staff for the work they do every day taking care of the sick in their fragility, and in a particular way what they had done for him, Bruni said.The pope's next big agenda item is a trip to Latin America from Nov. 6-17, which gives Leo three more weeks of recovery before taking on the ambitious journey that includes a dozen flights and two helicopter trips.The Vatican has given signs of all-systems go, publishing the names of journalists accredited to fly on Leo's plane on Friday. Oncology surgeons say protocols generally clear patients to fly after three weeks, as long as recovery allows.Doctors are still awaiting the results of tests to understand the precise molecular and genetic makeup of the cancer, whether it has spread beyond the lobe and whether any further treatment is necessary.Although the surgery was successful, it hasn't yet been announced whether he will need further treatment, such as chemotherapy, raising a question few Catholics have had reason to consider: Who runs the Roman Catholic Church when the pope is sidelined by illness?Church law has no clear mechanism for temporarily transferring a pope's authority if he becomes unable to perform his duties due to a medical issue, Rev. Patrick Flanagan, chair of St. John's University's theology department, told The Post. Church law does not provide for any emergency situations.If a pope were to be incapacitated, get sick, get dementia or be in the hospital for a period of time, there's no real indication of who would be in charge, Flanagan explained.One of the beautiful things about the Catholic Church is that it's a well-run organization. Everyone has a place and everyone knows the responsibility. So the church continues. I'm not convinced that there have been previous popes that have not been incapacitated that we knew nothing about.They just didn't show up, Flanagan said. One of his American traits is that he wants to be as transparent as he can be with the people of God in front of him. So I think he's trying to balance transparency with privacy.For someone to tell you about their vulnerability is pretty remarkable because you're not even two years into your job and you're already dealing with health issues. And people are starting to worry, will this impact the rest of his pontificate?The hospitalization came 17 months after Leo was admitted to the hospital during a weeklong Vatican summit of 200 participants including cardinals, bishops, experts and married couples from around the world, which ran from Oct. 7-14.They convened on the 10th anniversary of Amoris Laetitia, a document written about love, marriage and sexuality by his predecessor Pope Francis, to discuss topics ranging from cohabitation of young couples to influencers on social media portraying traditional families, often referred to as trad wife culture.During the symposium, Pope Leo released a statement, saying: As you know, I have been unable to be among you during these days. I thank you warmly for your prayers and for the work you have done together. Your sharing of experiences and attentive listening are indeed a gift to the whole Church. I ask you please to pray for me, as I pray for you.On Tuesday, Pope Leo was supposed to travel to Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles from Rome, to present a sustainability medal in his name on behalf of his alma mater, Villanova University, during its International Sustainability Conference. Villanova's president, Rev. Peter M. Donohue, presented the medal to its inaugural recipient, Cardinal Michael Czerny, in his absence.The university also plans a Villanova basketball game in Rome against Notre Dame dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off on Nov. 1 at the Palazzo dello Sport. Ahead of the game, on Oct. 31, there will be a private Mass at St. Peter's Basilica celebrated by Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, followed by a planned audience with His Holiness at St. Paul VI Audience Hall.Thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square the day after his surgery for a Mass that Pope Leo was scheduled to celebrate. Instead, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who was approved as the new dean of the College of Cardinals on Oct. 8 by Pope Leo, presided.The reaction has been overwhelmingly strikingly touching because people recognize that in just a short period of time that he's been pope, he's made such an incredible impact, Flanagan said.