Rome, Italy
Reuters
Pope Francis was discharged from hospital on Friday morning, nine days after he underwent surgery to repair an abdominal hernia.
Francis, 86, left Rome’s Gemelli hospital in a wheelchair, waving to reporters and well-wishers at the main entrance as he was taken to a waiting car.
Pope Francis is photographed on the day of his discharge from Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy, on 16th June, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane
“The Pope is well. He is in better shape than before,” Sergio Alfieri, the chief surgeon who operated on Francis on 7th June, told reporters outside the hospital after the pontiff left.
Alfieri said the Pope was well enough to travel. Francis has trips planned for Portugal at the start of August and Mongolia at the end of that month.
“He will be able [to carry out his duties] better than before because he no longer will have the discomfort. He will be a stronger Pope,” Alfieri said.
“He already has resumed working. We asked him to rest a bit and I am certain that this time he will listen to us a bit more because he has some important commitments, which he told us he would respect.”
The Pope’s engagements have been cancelled until 18th June.
“The Pope told us ‘Thank you, pray for me, I am still alive’,” Alfieri said.
The Pope traditionally takes all of July off, with the Sunday blessings being his only public appearances, so he will have next month to rest before the August trips.
