Pope Leo is due to be discharged in the early afternoon. Sunday Angelus from the Vatican

Pope Leo XIV is due to be discharged from the Policlinico Gemelli in Rome in the early afternoon of Saturday 17 October. In the latest medical bulletin, doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora explain that, ‘in light of the blood tests and chest X-ray carried out this morning, and having assessed his clinical condition, the Holy Father has been deemed fit for discharge’. The Vatican has also announced that on Sunday 18 October he will recite the Angelus from the window of the papal apartment in St Peter’s Square.

“No special medical facilities are required in the apartment at the Apostolic Palace” in the Vatican, where the Pope will return following his stay at the Gemelli Hospital after undergoing surgery to remove a lung tumour. Vatican sources explain that this can be inferred from the doctors’ bulletin.

Before the Pope leaves the Gemelli Hospital, there will be no press conference given by the doctors who have been treating him over the past few days, as, according to sources, everything has already been clarified in the latest medical bulletin.

Meanwhile, outside the Gemelli Polyclinic, the prayers and affection of the faithful have accompanied Pope Leo XIV throughout his stay in hospital, as he prepares to be discharged. A group of Latin American priests gathered in a circle around the statue of John Paul II at the hospital entrance to pray for the Pope, who is in hospital for the removal of a tumour from his right lung. There is a constant stream of the faithful, patients and family members arriving at the Gemelli for routine visits and check-ups, but who also find time to spare a thought for the Pope, whom they feel is close to them.