Pope Francis Leaves Hospital... Will Resume Meetings Next Week

Doctors allowed Pope Francis to leave the hospital today, Friday, after spending nine days recovering from surgery. The Pope left the Gemelli Hospital in Rome in a wheelchair, and all his public engagements and meetings have been canceled until June 18. Chief surgeon Sergio Alfieri stated, "The Pope is well. He is in better condition than before." He added, "He has already resumed work. We asked him to rest a bit, and I am sure he will listen to us better this time, as he has some important commitments." The Vatican noted that "the Pope will recite the Sunday noon prayer in St. Peter's Square and will resume private meetings next week, but he will not deliver the Wednesday address to the public in the square to aid his recovery post-surgery." The Pope is scheduled to travel to Portugal in early August and to Mongolia at the end of that month.