Pope Francis was released from Gemelli Hospital on Friday morning following his abdominal surgery on 7 June.
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.
Returning to normalcy
Bruni has sent regular statements confirming the Pope’s progress, consistently stating that the medical team reports that the clinical picture is progressively improving and “the post-operative course and recovery is regular.”
Following the 7 June surgery, the Pope’s surgeon, Professor Sergio Alfieri, told reporters that there were no complications and that the Pope is expected to eventually resume travel and his normal activities, but should not lift heavy objects.
Due to the surgery and subsequent recovery, the Pope’s audiences were suspended until Sunday, 18 June.
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.