After three days of treatment for bronchitis, Pope Francis is scheduled to leave hospital on Saturday and return to the Vatican, where he will lead a Palm Sunday mass the next day, marking the start of Easter celebrations.
On Friday, the 86-year-old pope made a surprise visit to the children’s oncology ward at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he brought the children chocolate eggs, rosaries and books, and baptized a baby of a few weeks old.
In a video clip and photos published by the Vatican, the pope appears smiling and leaning on a walker, writing on a piece of paper and sprinkling water on the newborn’s head.
The Vatican said on Thursday that the pope had already improved a lot after starting antibiotics and would likely be released from hospital in a few days.
The Vatican confirmed that the pope would leave the hospital, Saturday, and lead a Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, after two days of media rumors, according to “Agence France Presse”.
This Mass marks the beginning of Holy Week, which precedes Easter celebrations, the most important event of the year for Catholics.
Holy Week celebrations begin with Palm Sunday on April 2nd and end with the most important date in the Christian calendar, which is Resurrection Sunday on April 9th, according to Reuters.
