Pope Francis returned to work from his hospital room

Even convalescent, Pope Francis does not remain inactive for long. The 86-year-old head of the Catholic Church has returned to work from Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he has been under care for several days after abdominal surgery, the Vatican said Friday.

"After breakfast, His Holiness began to move around again, spending most of the morning in an armchair. This allowed him to read the newspapers and resume his work," the director of the Holy See's press service, Matteo Bruni, said in a statement at midday. "The medical team informs that the clinical picture is gradually improving and that the postoperative evolution is regular," he added.

Hearings cancelled until June 18

The Argentine Jesuit was operated Wednesday under general anesthesia, for three hours, to resolve painful "adhesions" on his abdominal wall, consequences of his colon operation in July 2021. He is expected to spend several days on the 10th floor of this establishment known as the "hospital of the popes", in the same room that John Paul II used many times. His hearings were cancelled until June 18.

Operated on the lung at the age of 21, affected by hip and knee problems, François is regularly forced to lighten his schedule because of his health. By the end of March, he had already returned to Gemelli Hospital for a respiratory infection, which required three days of antibiotic treatment.