Pope returns to Vatican after hospital stay

After his most recent health scare, the Holy Father is getting back to work:

Pope John Paul II will return to the Vatican today, after 10 days in Gemelli Hospital, where he was treated for breathing difficulties brought on by the flu. In a statement released on February 10, Joaquin Navarro-Valls reported: "The acute laryngeal tracheitis that was the reason for urgently admitting the Holy Father to the hospital has healed."

I'm happy that this story omitted the "frail pope" phrase that we've seen far too often. It bugs me when people portray the pope as a delicate little flower. This is one tough hombre. He worked in the Polish resistance during the Nazi occupation of that country. His Cold War-era efforts were crucial to the Solidarity movement's victory over Soviet domination. He survived four gunshot wounds in an assassination attempt. Then he publicly and personally forgave the man who tried to kill him. (By the way, the would-be assassin is wishing for the pope's recovery.) He's traveled to just about every country in the world that would have him. When His Holiness returns to his Maker, it won't be from weakness or frailty. It will be a reward for his strength.