Pope Francis returns to the Vatican on Friday morning after he is discharged from the Gemelli Policlinic hospital, making his usual detour to pray before the Icon of the Blessed Mother at Santa Maria Maggiore, and paying a private visit to greet some nuns.
By Vatican News staff reporter
Pope Francis was released from Gemelli Hospital on Friday morning following his abdominal surgery on 7 June, and has returned to the Vatican.
As he left the hospital, Pope Francis stopped his car briefly to greet those present, pausing for a moment for some salutations.
In a brief statement Thursday, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, informed the press that Pope Francis would be released from the hospital this morning.
The Pope's surgeon, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, said the Pope is well, even better than before.
The Pope, responding to some journalists' questions about how he is, said "I am still alive," and expressed his sorrow for the tragic deaths of migrants in Greece.
Following the Pope's departure from the hospital, he maintained his tradition of making a detour to Rome's Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pause in prayer before the icon of the Blessed Mother, Salus Populi Romani.
The Holy Father had likewise stopped in the Basilica when returning to the Vatican, following his hospitalization for bronchitis on 1 April 2023, and after his colon surgery on 14 July 2021.
Prior to returning to the Vatican through the Perugino Gate, the Holy Father made a private visit to the religious sisters of the Maria Santissima Bambina Institute, near the Vatican, who are in Rome for their General Chapter.
Outside the Perugino Gate, the Pope greeted the law enforcement officers and thanked them for their service.
Returning to normalcy
Bruni has sent regular statements confirming the Pope's progress, consistently stating the the medical team reports that the clinical picture is progressively improving and "the post-operative course and recovery is regular."
There were no complications with the Pope's surgery.
Pope Francis should eventually be able to resume travel and his normal activities, but should not lift heavy objects, according to his doctors.
Upcoming appointments
Due to the surgery and subsequent recovery, the Pope's audiences were suspended until Sunday, 18 June.
The Vatican has confirmed the Pope's Sunday Angelus, and other audiences.
However, the June 21 General Audience "has been cancelled to safeguard the Holy Father's post-operative recovery."
Pope Francis has Apostolic Journeys to Portugal, from 2 to 6 August, for the occasion of World Youth Day, and Mongolia, from 31 August to 4 September, on his agenda.
Tenderness at Gemelli
Thursday morning, Pope Francis made a return visit to the hospital's children's cancer ward, which he had visited during his last stay in the hospital before Holy Week for bronchitis.
During his stay, the Holy Father thanked all the medical personnel for their professionalism and their efforts "to alleviate the suffering of others, not only with medication, but also with tenderness and humanity."
The Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic, the largest hospital in Rome, is the teaching hospital for the Catholic University’s medical school.
The hospital is named for Franciscan Friar Agostino Gemelli, a physician and psychologist, who also was the founder and first rector of the University.
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