Pope Francis’ condition has improved enough that he was discharged from a Rome hospital on Sunday and sent to recover at least two months at the Vatican, his doctor said Saturday evening.
On Sunday, Francis plans to open his first public since being hospitalized on February 14th. He will perform at noon on the balcony on the 10th floor of Gemeri Hospital in Rome, where he will greet the crowds and convey the traditional Sunday blessings, Matteo Bruni, a spokesman for Vatan and a spokesman for Vatan.
The announcement of the Pope’s release brought in surprising events for nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholic leaders around the world, weeks after he was in crisis and the Roman Catholic Church appeared to be on the brink of Conclave to choose his successor. Instead, Francis slowly and steadily improved the new phase for him and the Church.
He returned to the Vatican, physically diminished, at least in the short term, without his voice, dependent on oxygen and robbed of his intimacy with his faithful people.
“That’s a sigh of relief,” Fr. Antonio Spadaro, a close associate of Francis, said Saturday evening. He added that “there was a need and a need for his existence” not only for the Church, but also for the fluid world.
Francis was able to govern the church from the hospital, but after completing his blessing on Sunday he returned home, Bruni said.
Just a few weeks ago there was a great concern within the church and that he would never return. The doctor spoke at a press conference at Gemeri Hospital on Saturday evening, saying that the incident of pope pneumonia in both lungs was so serious that he put his life in serious danger twice.
But they said he had been stable for two weeks and had asked when he could go home in the last 3-4 days.
“He was very happy,” said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the leader of the medical team that cares for the Pope. Dr. Alfieri added that he was happy to share “the good news that the whole world has been waiting for.”
The doctor said the Pope has overcome his most dangerous infection, but he has not been completely healed and needs to rest for at least two months.
However, doctors said 88-year-old Francis still needs medication and oxygen so that patients who have recovered from pneumonia are normal before they resume normal schedules. They hoped he would not need oxygen any time soon, but the Pope urged him to avoid meetings with large groups and people with small children, and avoid other possible sources of infection.
His doctor also said that Francis has difficulty speaking. This should be expected in patients who have suffered severe damage to the lungs and respiratory muscles.
“One of the first things that happen is that we lose a little voice,” said Dr. Luigi Carbon, a Pope’s Vatican-based doctor, who spoke at a press conference on Saturday evening. “It’ll take some time for his voice to return.”
For weeks, Catholics around the world have been praying for the Pope to be restored. Since February 25th, Cardinal and the Bishop have guided the Rosary prayers every night at St. Peters Square, which attracts hundreds of faithful people each night.
Francis was in a severe crisis for weeks after experiencing an asthma respiratory crisis. Early mild kidney failure; and bronchial convulsions that caused him to inhale his vomit after coughing. He used non-invasive mechanical ventilation at night and high-flow oxygen therapy during the day.
The doctor said he asked how he was doing after the Pope survived his toughest crisis.
“I’m still alive,” Dr. Alfieri said the Pope replied. “That’s when we knew he was fine and he had regained his good humor.”
Francis went to the hospital with acute respiratory failure from a viral and bacterial infection, but he was treated with medication and oxygen, slowly improving his condition. His doctors said Saturday that the pope had never been intubated during his hospitalization and remained wary and conscious.
The doctor said the Pope’s Vatican residence is well equipped to address his medical needs and emergency services are available 24 hours a day.
Francis often suffered from bronchitis during the winter, but he had not stopped the Pope from maintaining his strict schedule a few weeks before his hospitalization.
