Pope Francis will leave the Roman university hospital "Agostino Gemelli," where he has been for 37 days, on Sunday. The Pope's clinical condition is stable, but he will still need to undergo a longer pharmacological therapy at the Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican, according to his doctors at a hastily arranged press conference on Saturday. The Pope will need at least two months of rest.

Pope's Hospital Stay Ends

Pope Francis should be able to speak well again in a relatively short time after a month-long battle against bilateral pneumonia, said Sergio Alfieri, head of the medical team that treated the Pope at the Gemelli hospital. Twice during his hospital stay, the Pope was in life-threatening situations, Alfieri explained.

"It is hard to say when the Pope will regain his ability to speak, but considering the improvements that have occurred, recovery in a short time is possible," said Vatican doctor Luigi Carbone. "The hospital is the worst place to continue convalescence because the likelihood of infections is greatest there," added Alfieri.

Pope Francis's pneumonia has been overcome, and other infections have decreased. "The most severe infections have subsided, but it will take a long time to completely eradicate them. If you ask us whether the bilateral pneumonia is still present, no, it is not. It will take some time before we can say that the Pope is completely healed from all types of microbes," explained Alfieri.

The Pope is "very happy" about the upcoming discharge. "He had been asking us for three or four days when he could go home," the doctors reported. For his convalescence at the Santa Marta guesthouse, Francis will not need many things, except for oxygen. During this time, the doctors have advised against meetings with groups, strenuous activities, and appointments with people. "Convalescence is by definition a recovery phase. The Pope will not be able to meet with people," the doctors emphasized.

Uncertainty About Holy Week

Nothing has been decided yet about Pope Francis's participation in the Holy Week and Easter ceremonies in Rome. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni stated that everything now depends on the course of his recovery. The Pope will adhere to the doctors' recommendations. This also applies to the possible meeting with British King Charles in April and the planned trip of the Pope to Turkey at the end of May. Bruni explained that the trip to Turkey "was never officially announced by the Holy See" and that in any case, every decision will be made depending on the Pope's health conditions.

Francis was admitted to the Gemelli Clinic in Rome on February 14 due to bronchitis, which developed into bilateral pneumonia. The 88-year-old suffered several severe respiratory crises and had to be ventilated, at times he was in life-threatening condition. Subsequently, his health condition improved again and has been stable for about two weeks.

On Saturday morning, the Vatican announced that the Pope wanted to greet the faithful and give them a blessing from the window of his hospital room during the Sunday prayer. The Vatican stated that Francis would not say the prayer himself. This was his way of saying goodbye to the hospital, said Vatican spokesman Bruni. Normally, the Pope holds a prayer at noon on Sundays in St. Peter's Square. Since his hospitalization, Francis has not been able to do so. The Angelus prayer has since been published in writing.

Francis the Second Oldest Pope

At 88 years old, the native Argentine is now the second oldest Pope in history. Francis has been in office for twelve years as the successor to the German Pope Benedict XVI. This year, there are particularly many pilgrims in Rome because 2025 is considered a Holy Year in Catholic understanding.

(APA/Red)

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