Pope John Paul II is recovering in hospital today after being rushed from the Vatican in an ambulance and undergoing a throat operation to ease his breathing, following a recurrence of flu-like symptoms.

The Pope was spending his first full day back at the Vatican after emergency hospital treatment that left many wondering how he would continue in his papacy with such frail health.

The Pope will leave hospital tonight, the Vatican said, declaring the 84-year-old pontiff “cured” of the illness that landed him in a Rome clinic for 10 days and rekindled questions about his ability to carry on as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

A senior Vatican official has responded to a sensitive question that many Roman Catholics have been asking: Would ailing Pope John Paul II ever consider stepping down?