VATICAN CITY (RNS) — “Still alive,” Pope Francis reassured the world as he returned to the Vatican on Friday after a 10-day stay at the hospital following surgery to repair a hernia.
The pope will now resume his public schedule, beginning with his Sunday Angelus prayer overlooking St. Peter’s Square. The traditional Wednesday audience in the square next week, however, was cancelled “to safeguard the Holy Father’s post-surgery recovery,” the Vatican said in a statement.
Francis went to Il Gemelli Hospital in Rome on June 6 after doctors found a hernia related to an earlier abdominal surgery that had caused him severe recurring pain.
As many Catholics spent the days of the pope’s recovery concerned about the 86-year-old pontiff’s physical health, Francis continued to put the pieces in place for his succession.
While in the hospital, Francis named Bishop Josè Cobo to head the Archdiocese of Madrid in Spain, an important post that Spanish-speaking prelates around the world look to as a point of reference. Cobo is considered a supporter of Francis’ vision, and Vatican experts believe it won’t be long before he is made cardinal.
Francis has been intentional in his cardinal appointments, giving red hats to prelates who hail from a more diverse range of cultures and nationalities but who also reflect his plans for the future of the church. Francis has selected 63% of the cardinal electors who will vote at the next conclave. His successor will need 67% of the conclave’s votes to be named pope.
While actively shoring up his legacy, Francis has shown no signs that his health problems, which range from a balky knee to his recent abdominal pain, are slowing him down. He still plans to visit Portugal for World Youth Day in early August. September will find him visiting the Catholic community in Mongolia.
“The pope has confirmed all the trips,” said Dr. Sergio Alfrieri, who performed the pope’s surgery on June 7. “It will be easier for him to make them because he will no longer have the discomfort from the previous ailments. He will be a stronger pope,” he added.
In October, bishops from around the world, joined by first-time lay Catholics, will arrive at the Vatican for the opening of the Synod on Synodality. The Vatican summit is the culmination of a three-year global consultation of Catholics on issues ranging from how decisions are made to inclusivity in the church.
Francis has told journalists in interviews that he is open to the possibility of retiring if his health were to impair his ability to perform his papal ministry. But he has noted that he would not spend his retirement inside the Vatican as his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, has done. He would also choose the title of emeritus bishop instead of emeritus pope.
As he left the hospital, Francis passed a large white statue of Pope John Paul II, whose extended stays there during his long struggle with Parkinson’s disease earned Gemelli the sobriquet “Vatican II.” It was a reminder of the strains a pope’s health can put on the last years of his pontificate.
