Pope Francis leaves hospital 10 days after major surgery

Eighty-four-year-old pontiff had half of colon removed in planned operation

Pope Francis has been spotted leaving hospital in Rome 10 days after undergoing major surgery on his colon (Vatican Media via AP)

Pope Francis has been seen leaving hospital in Rome, 10 days after undergoing surgery to remove half his colon.

A car carrying the 84-year-old was spotted leaving Gemelli Polytechnic hospital in the Italian capital on Wednesday morning.

Francis had half of his colon removed for a severe narrowing of his large intestine on 4 July, his first major surgery since he became pope in 2013.

It was a planned procedure, scheduled for early July when the pope’s audiences are suspended and he would normally take some time off.

The pope on Sunday made his first public appearance since the surgery, standing for about 10 minutes while delivering his weekly prayer from the balcony of his suite surrounded by young cancer patients.

Pope Francis is seen leaving Gemelli Polytechnic hospital in Rome 10 days after undergoing major surgery (Angelo Carconi/EPA)

Photographers at the Gemelli hospital saw two cars escorted by Vatican security leave via a side entrance shortly before 11am local time on Wednesday after staff put a wheelchair in the boot of one of the vehicles. The first of the two cars had darkened windows.

Francis will have several more weeks to recover before beginning to travel again in September.

There are plans for him to visit Hungary and Slovakia between 12 and 15 September before a brief trip to Glasgow in November to participate in the COP26 climate conference.

The Vatican had originally said Francis could be discharged last weekend, but later said he would stay a few days extra for further recovery and rehabilitation therapy.

On the eve of his release, he visited the paediatric cancer ward, which is located on the same floor as the papal hospital suite.

The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed when he was a young man but has otherwise enjoyed relatively robust health.

Additional reporting by agencies