Pope Lav discharged from hospital four days after lung cancer operation
Four days after an operation for lung cancer the 71‑year‑old pope walked out of Gemelli hospital and returned to the Vatican.
Pope Lav left a Rome hospital this afternoon and returned to the Vatican, four days after undergoing surgery for lung cancer that has prompted speculation about the future of his 17-month pontificate.
Walking without assistance, the 71-year-old pope reached the waiting vehicle and greeted well‑wishers outside Rome's Gemelli hospital. He stopped to speak with Varvara, a 13‑year‑old girl from Ukraine who is in Italy for cancer treatment.
Doctors clear him to resume normal activities
Photographs show Lav smiling broadly and waving through an open window as his black SUV left the hospital grounds. A Vatican video released of the departure captured him in good spirits during the transfer back to the Holy See.
Hospital physicians said that following final blood tests and chest imaging he is well enough to return home, and they added that he is able to perform everyday activities independently.
The brief hospitalization and operation have fuelled public discussion about how the illness might affect his leadership after 17 months as pope, but today’s images and medical comments underline that he left the clinic in stable condition.
Photo: AP)
