SOME Vatican insiders say that when cardinals come to elect a successor to Pope John Paul II they may prefer to return to a safe Italian candidate, like the vast majority of past pontiffs.

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.

Pope John Paul will leave hospital today, the Vatican announced.

He will spend less than three hours in Pompeii, but Pope John Paul’s visit to a century-old shrine tomorrow is a sign for the Vatican that the frail pontiff’s papacy is still vibrant.

POPE John Paul II celebrated his 83rd birthday yesterday carrying out one of his favourite tasks — creating new saints as role models for members of the Catholic Church.