Pope released from hospital
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|  VIDEO |
 Pope John Paul II leaves for Vatican after extended hospital stay.
 CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains the tracheotomy procedure.
 The 84-year-old pope suffers from a number of chronic ailments.
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ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II returned to the Vatican on Sunday after leaving Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital for the first time since he suffered breathing trouble more than two weeks ago.
The pontiff was helped into the front seat of a silver Mercedes minivan for the brief ride home.
Well-wishers lined the four-mile route, waving as the pope rode by.
Earlier in the day, he read a short blessing aloud from a hospital window, his first public statement since undergoing throat surgery last month.
"Have a good Sunday," he said in Italian to the hundreds of people gathered below his window and the millions of others watching on television.
His words were slow, apparently punctuated by long pauses to catch his breath.
It marked the fourth Sunday the 84-year-old pope has appeared from the hospital window for the weekly Angelus prayer since he was hospitalized last month suffering from a respiratory infection.
The prayer itself was read by Archbishop Leonardo Sandri of Argentina.
On Tuesday, the Vatican said the pope was expected to be released from the hospital in time for Holy Week.
However, the Vatican said it does not know whether John Paul would regain enough of his voice to take part in Easter activities.
As a result, for the first time in his papacy, the pontiff will delegate senior cardinals to preside over nearly all of his Easter ceremonies. (Full story)
The pope entered the hospital on February 24 for a relapse of the flu, and underwent a tracheotomy the same day to relieve breathing difficulties.
He was also in hospital from February 1 to February 10.
The pope suffers from a number of chronic illnesses, including crippling hip and knee ailments and Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that can make breathing difficult.
