Pope Francis leaves the hospital after spending three days hospitalized for bronchitis

He Pope Francisco86, was discharged this Saturday from the Roman hospital where he was hospitalized for three days due to bronchitis, and returned to the Vatican to prepare for the Holy Week celebrations.

“I’m still alive,” the Argentine pontiff joked to the faithful and journalists gathered outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome.

He papawho was smiling and in a good mood, got out of his car to greet them, before heading to the Vatican.

Before leaving in a white Fiat 500 car, Francisco hugged a couple whose daughter died Friday night at the hospital, the Vatican said.

He also thanked the medical staff and the journalists who were waiting for him at the exit of the medical center.

“I am reminded of something that an old man once told me, a man older than me, when faced with a situation like this: “I, father, do not know death but I have seen it coming… It is ugly, huh!” he told reporters with a laugh.

Francisco was then greeted with applause by the people who had gathered there hoping to see him.

The Vatican He confirmed that he will be able to preside over the Palm Mass tomorrow Sunday in the Plaza de San Pedro, which marks the beginning of the rites of Holy Week.

As on other occasions and because he uses a wheelchair due to knee pain, he will only preside over the ceremony, which will be celebrated by the Argentine cardinal Leonardo Sandri.

Before entering your residence in the Vaticanthe Pope stopped for a few minutes to pray in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, in the center of Rome, a personal tradition that he fulfills before each trip abroad.

“Happy Easter and pray for me,” he told the Italian television journalist who was waiting for him at the Vatican entrance.

Shortly after, the Holy See’s press office released its work schedule for this Saturday, which includes a meeting with Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, responsible for 10 years for the bishops of the world, who resigned in January after being accused of improper touching of a scholarship holder.

The day before, he brought chocolate eggs, rosaries and books to children with cancer who are hospitalized at the Gemelli hospital and baptized a newborn.

In a photo released by the Vatican, he was seen recovered, smiling.

an infectious bronchitis

Francisco received antibiotic treatment for a infectious bronchitiswhich produced “the expected effects with a notable improvement,” explained the pope’s spokesman.

The head of the Catholic church suffers from chronic health problems and underwent colon surgery in July 2021.

On Wednesday, the Vatican said he was at the Roman hospital for a scheduled check-up, but had to admit hours later that he had a “respiratory infection” that required antibiotic treatment.

His hospitalization surprised public opinion and fueled rumors about his possible resignation for health reasons.

His fragile health has “given oxygen” to those who seek to present him as a weak person and hope that he will follow the example of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who resigned in 2013 when he realized that his physical and mental strength was not enough, Robert told AFP. Mickens, editor of the religious newspaper La Croix International.

Francis has always left open the possibility of emulating his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who died at the end of 2022. But his messages on this option are ambivalent.

In July 2022 he said he could “step aside”, but in February he said that the resignation of a pope “should not become a fad” and that such an idea was “not on his agenda at the moment”.

The pontiff is constantly cared for by a team of doctors and nurses, either in the Vatican or during his travels.

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