Pope Francis will be discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, his doctors say, as the Catholic Church leader leaves the facility after spending more than a month there due to a health crisis.
Hospital officials said Saturday that the pope will recuperate in his Casa Santa Marta apartment for at least two months.
After a month of absence, Pope Francis will appear at the window of the hospital on Sunday.
Faithful followers of Pope Francis have reason to rejoice this weekend as the Holy Father prepares for a momentous public return, the Vatican announced on Saturday.
After weeks of prayer vigils and anxious speculation about his health, the 88-year-old pope will appear at the window of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital this Sunday to offer his blessing after the Angelus.
This short but symbolic performance marks a turning point in a period full of challenges for the universal Church, whose pastor has been absent from public activity since mid-February.
While the written text of his reflections on the Angel of the Lord will continue to be circulated as it was during his recovery, this appearance will be a spiritual turning point.
The media office of the Holy See announced on Friday that the time of the final release of Pope Francis from Gemelli Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment since February 14, is still uncertain.
The high-flow oxygen therapy was reduced during the day. High-flow oxygen is now used at night instead of non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Vatican’s communications body said.
The 88-year-old pope did not visit the hospital in recent days, which he spent on treatment, respiratory and physical therapy, work and prayer.
After more than a month in the hospital for chronic and acute respiratory infections, including double pneumonia, the Holy See’s Press Office notes that Pope Francis is in stable condition and showing “small improvements.”
