Pope Francis to Leave Hospital and Reappear Publicly on Sunday After Several Weeks of Absence
Hangin' a Shingle: Pope Francis Leaving Hospital After Months of Illness
It's time to say adieu to the hospital bed, as Pope Francis is set to be discharged on Sunday after more than five weeks of treatment for a nasty double lung infection. The big man'll be outta the hospital and back in the Vatican, but the docs aren't taking any chances - he'll still need to recover for at least two months at his digs.
The Lowdown
Dr. Feelgood delivered some good news on Saturday, stating that the Pope's made some serious improvements over the past week. However, they still want him to rest up and keep those clinic visits rollin' for at least another two months.
The doctors revealed that the old boy's been battlin' an acute respiratory infection and double pneumonia, and he's had some close calls. Luckily, he's respondin' well to the treatments and has graduated from those scary machines and tubes to just a regular ol' oxygen mask part-time.
Gemelli Hospital announced on Saturday afternoon that Pope Francis will make his first public appearance since February - he'll be blessin' the crowd from his hospital window!
The Vatican's press office had already confirmed on Friday that Francis is no longer breathin' with the help of a fancy ventilator and is using less oxygen, with his condition remainin' stable and improvin'.
Cardinal Victor Fernandez speculated on Friday that Francis might need to re-learn the art of gab due to the oxygen therapy, and his docs confirmed on Saturday that a loss of voice following double pneumonia treatment is pretty normal.
Why Did Francis Check Into a Sick Bay?
The Pope checked into the hospital on Valentine's Day with a simple respiratory infection. But things took a turn for the worse a week later when the Vatican revealed that Francis was in critical condition and wasn't outta the woods yet. He was totally dependin' on a high flow of oxygen to breathe and had received blood transfusions. The docs said he had pneumonia in both lungs and was battlin' not one, not two, but three types of infections - bacterial, viral, and fungal - on top of his ol' reliable chronic bronchitis.
On February 23, the Vatican reported that Francis had experienced some mild kidney problems and a heavy asthmatic attack the day before. The docs said in early March that Francis was fevers-free and off the ventilator, and his condition was lookin' up. The Vatican released a pic of Francis last week, prayin' at a hospital chapel.
Behind the Scenes
Francis, who's 88 years young and has led the Catholic Church for 12 years, has experienced his fair share of health troubles. He's had multiple hospital stays, including one in July 2021 for a narrowed intestine, and another two years later for bronchitis. The Pope's been saddled with chronic lung issues ever since he had a lung removed when he was a whippersnapper due to a pulmonary infection.
The Pope's health has raised some questions about whether he'll follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, and call it quits. But Cardinal Victor Fernandez put the kibosh on those rumors on Friday, confirming that Pope Francis hasn't got any plans to step down.
For more on Pope Francis' health and the happenings at the Vatican, check out these articles from NBC News and Reuters.
Sources:
[1] Pope Francis' health still a concern as he faces surgery on stomach, Kidder, Maggie, NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-health-still-concern-as-he-faces-surgery-stomach-ncna1265813
[2] Pope Francis reveals his healthy sense of humor in rare interview, Barnfield, Greg, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-francis-reveals-his-healthy-sense-humor-rare-interview-2021-09-24/
[3] Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital, Rabinovitch, Philip, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/22/world/europe/pope-francis-discharge.html
- After a successful recovery, Pope Francis is set to return to the Vatican from the hospital in Rome.
- The Pope's health improvements were confirmed by doctors on Saturday, despite his ongoing need for recovery and regular medical check-ups.
- Following his discharge from Gemelli Hospital, it was announced that Pope Francis will make his first public appearance since February, blessing the crowd from his hospital window.
