Pope Francis went into surgery last week for an abdominal hernia, or when an organ protrudes through the surrounding muscle's wall. Now the 86 year old pontiff is doing much better since his Gemelli Hospital stay. His procedure was a success and he was discharged earlier today, per CNN.

After nine days in the hospital recovering from abdominal surgery, Pope Francis was allowed to head home. His surgeon, Sergio Alfieri, told reporters: “The pope is well. He is in better shape than before.”

Alfieri also said the pope suffered from a lot of pain from the previous stomach surgeries, and the scar tissue posed a potential risk of intestinal blockage. However, the pope had no complications during his June 7 surgery, the surgeon said.

The director of the Vatican Press Office Matteo Bruni said medical staff reported on Thursday that Francis had “rested well during the night. The clinical course continues regularly. Hematochemical examinations are in the normal range.” And earlier that day, “as a token of thanks, he received the entire operating team formed by the medical staff, nurses, social and health workers and auxiliaries who coordinated, performed and made the surgery possible last June 7,” Bruni added.

Pope Francis left the hospital in a wheel chair with a smile on his face, waving to the surrounding crowd at the main entrance. Security helped the pope into his car and then drove him around the Italian capital to see a few sites before heading back to the Vatican.

The pope will, as of now, continue to deliver his weekly prayer this Sunday and keep all of his appointments with the exception of meeting with a general audience next Wednesday.