Pope Francis

Francis' planned Saturday address would have been the first time a pope had addressed a U.N. climate conference, which is taking place in Dubai.

Francis has now named nine batches of new cardinals in his 10-year papacy. Increasingly, the men who will vote for whoever succeeds Francis are churchmen supportive of his values.

"The pope is well. He's better than before,'' said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the surgeon who performed the 86-year-old pontiff's operation on June 7.

The pope underwent "a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery under general anesthesia" on Wednesday, the Holy See's official news portal says. The pope had complained of abdominal pain on Tuesday.

Catholic women's groups that have long criticized the Vatican for treating women as second-class citizens immediately praised the move as historic in the 2,000-year life of the church.

Pope Francis, along with dozens of prelates and tens of thousands of faithful, celebrated Easter Mass in a flower-adorned St. Peter's Square.

Pope Francis, hospitalized recently with bronchitis, skipped the procession because of cold weather. It was the first time a pope was a no-show at the Colosseum Way of the Cross procession since 2005.

Pope Francis opened the celebration Mass in St. Peter's Square on Palm Sunday, presiding at his first ceremony after his hospital stay for bronchitis.

Pope Francis was discharged from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away: "I'm still alive."

The pope will leave the hospital on Saturday, three days after he was hospitalized for respiratory problems. He was diagnosed with bronchitis. Francis will be present for Palm Sunday ceremonies.