ROME, Italy - Pope Francis was discharged from a hospital in Rome on Friday following an operation on his abdomen, reported German news agency (dpa).
Seated in a wheelchair, he waved to onlookers as he was driven from the Gemelli Hospital, where he was operated on to prevent an intestinal obstruction.
He spoke briefly with reporters outside the hospital. "I'm still alive," he said smiling before heading back to the Vatican.
His doctors have said the operation went smoothly and he tolerated the general anaesthesia well.
Before his operation last Thursday, Catholics were concerned about the operation due to concerns how well the pope would tolerate the anaesthesia.
He underwent a procedure known as a laparotomy. It was the third time the pope was admitted to the hospital in Rome following an intestinal surgery in the summer of 2021, and later being admitted for pneumonia earlier this year. - BERNAMA-dpa