Pope Francis was released from Rome’s Gemeri Hospital on Sunday, and doctors treating him will need at least two months of rest at the Vatican.
The 88-year-old was admitted to the hospital with double pneumonia on February 14th.
Over the past five weeks, he has presented “two very important episodes” where life is at risk,” said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, one of the doctors treating the Pope.
Pope Francis has never been intubated and is always on guard and remains oriented, Dr. Alfieri said. The Pope is not completely healed, but he is no longer pneumonia and is now in a stable state.
“Today, we’re happy to say he’ll be home tomorrow,” Dr. Alfieri told reporters on Saturday.
The Pope will offer his blessings through his window at Gemeri Hospital on Sunday – he will appear in public for the first time since he was admitted to the hospital – before returning to his residence in the Vatican.
His medical team said the patient lost his voice a little after double pneumonia and it might take some time for the voice to return to previous states.
On Friday, the Pope “needs to relearn how to speak,” as Cardinal Victor Fernandez said “high flow oxygen will dry out everything,” Reuters reported.
If the trend of improvement continues, the Pope said he can return to work as soon as possible.
The Vatican said Friday that the Pope saw some improvements in his breathing and mobility.
He had confirmed that he was no longer using mechanical ventilation to breathe at night, but instead received oxygen through a small tube under his nose. During the day he uses less high flow oxygen.
The Pope was seen by the public only once after being admitted to the hospital in a photo released by the Vatican last week.
Earlier this month, an audio recording of Pope Francis speaking in his native Spanish was performed at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
His voice was breathless as he was grateful for the prayers of the Catholic faithful.
Pope Francis spent nearly 12 years as a leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
He has suffered from many health issues throughout his life. Among them, at age 21, one of their lungs was removed, making them more susceptible to infections.
