Hospitalized pope expected to return to Vatican soon

By AP 13 July 2021, 2:26 pm

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Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives to recite the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican on July 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis is expected to return to the Vatican “as soon as possible” following his stay in hospital for rehabilitation from intestinal surgery that he underwent earlier this month, the Vatican says.

The Vatican didn’t provide a target date in its daily medical update, repeating that the 84-year-old pope was continuing his planned course of treatment and rehabilitation. Francis had half of his colon removed for a severe narrowing of his large intestine on July 4, his first major surgery since he became pope in 2013.