Pope Francis Leaves The Hospital, Has Been Prayed For By The High Priest Of Al-Azhar

Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons/Aleteia Image Department)

JAKARTA - Pope Francis returned to the Vatican on Wednesday, July 14 local time, 11 days after undergoing surgery and treatment at a hospital in Rome, Italy.

Quoting Vatican News, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni confirmed Pope Francis was discharged from the Agostino Gemelli Hospital, Rome, Italy shortly after 10.30 am local time.

"Before returning to the Vatican the Pope prayed in the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, giving thanks for the success of his operation, offering prayers for all the sick, especially those he met during his hospital stay. Just before noon, he returned to Casa Santa Marta, " he explained.

Pope Francis later posted a thank you note on Twitter via the @Pontifex account. “I thank all those who have been close to me with prayer and love during my stay in the hospital. Do not forget to pray for the sick and for those who help them”, the Pope wrote.

Previously, Pope Francis had surgery caused by sigma diverticular stenosis. Treated on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital, the Pope received a lot of prayers and support, including the recovered Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople or Archbishop of Constantinople and Grand Imam al-Zahar Ahmed el-Tayyeb.

Last Sunday, the Pope made his first public appearance to lead the midday Angelus Prayer which was led from the balcony of his tenth-floor room, together with Catholics who were in the hospital grounds.

Meanwhile, citing Reuters, the Vatican released five photos of the pope during the previous day's visit to the children's cancer ward on the same floor as his room on Tuesday afternoon.

They showed the Pope appeared to be in good condition as he walked unaided along the corridors of the ward, greeting children, the elderly, and doctors. In the image released on Sunday, he is in a wheelchair when he visits a patient.