Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital on Sunday, Vatican announces

Photo: AFP

Pope Francis will be discharged from Rome's Gemelli hospital on Sunday, after spending several weeks there. The doctors treating him have said that he will need at least two months of rest at the Vatican to fully recover.

The 88-year-old Pope was admitted to the hospital on February 14th because of a severe lung infection that led to double pneumonia. This condition made it hard for him to breathe properly. During the last five weeks, the Pope had two serious health problems that put his life in danger, according to Dr. Sergio Alfieri, one of the doctors. Despite this, Pope Francis never needed a breathing tube (intubation) and remained awake and aware the entire time.

Although the Pope is not fully healed yet, he no longer has pneumonia and is in stable condition. Dr. Alfieri told reporters on Saturday, “Today we are happy to say that tomorrow he will be at home.”

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On Sunday, the Pope will give a special blessing from a window at the Gemelli hospital. This will be the first time he will appear in public since being admitted to the hospital. After that, he will go back to his residence at the Vatican to rest.

Doctors explained that patients with double pneumonia often lose their voice for a while. In older people like the Pope, it can take some time for the voice to come back to normal. Cardinal Victor Fernandez said that high-flow oxygen, which the Pope used for breathing, dries out the throat, and the Pope needs to "relearn how to speak."

If his recovery continues, doctors believe that the Pope will be able to return to work soon.

The Vatican also said that the Pope’s health has been improving. His breathing is better, and he no longer needs to use a machine for breathing at night. Instead, he now uses a small tube in his nose to get oxygen. During the day, he uses less oxygen than before.

The Pope has only been seen by the public once since he went to the hospital. Last week, the Vatican released a photo showing him praying in a hospital chapel. Earlier this month, an audio recording of the Pope speaking in Spanish was played in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. His voice sounded weak and breathless, but he thanked people for their prayers.

Pope Francis has been the leader of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 12 years. Throughout his life, he has had health problems, including having part of one of his lungs removed when he was 21. This makes him more likely to get infections.