Smiling pope returns to Vatican after cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV left the hospital to enthusiastic cheers and applause from well-wishers and returned home to the Vatican on Saturday, four days after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. The 71-year-old pope was seen crossing the lobby of the Gemelli Hospital on foot and exiting the building, smiling as he shook hands and waved. He spoke briefly to the doctors who treated him and hospital officials before pausing to speak with a Ukrainian girl, a cancer survivor who wanted to wish him well in his recovery. Soon after leaving the hospital, the pope’s black SUV was seen driving through a side…