The day after his release from hospital to treat bronchitis, Pope Francis is to preside over Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, an important event in the Christian calendar marking the start of Holy Week.
“I’m still alive”
Francois, 86, left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday after a three-night stay, appearing to be in good shape and in a joking mood. “I’m still alive,” he replied, smiling at the journalists and faithful gathered around the hospital who asked him how he felt.
The leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics has suffered from growing health problems for several years, including knee pain that forces him to use a wheelchair and a cane
At Palm Sunday and Easter Masses, he is expected to remain seated while a cardinal conducts the ceremony at the altar. According to the Holy See, this organization was decided before his hospitalization, the Argentine pontiff no longer being able to stand for long periods.
Ten years at the head of the worldwide Catholic Church
On Wednesday, the Vatican said he was going to Gemelli Hospital in Rome for scheduled check-ups, before admitting he had been having difficulty breathing and was suffering from a “respiratory infection” requiring antibiotic treatment. This is his second hospitalization since 2021, when he underwent colon surgery, also at Gemelli.
Earlier this month, Pope Francis celebrated ten years as head of the global Catholic Church. He pushed through major governance reforms and sought to forge a more open and compassionate Church, although he faced internal opposition, particularly from conservatives.
Permanent follow-up by a team of caregivers
He has repeatedly said he would consider resigning – like his predecessor Benedict XVI, who died in December – if his health were to fail, but he claimed last month that was not on the cards. François’ previous stay in Gemelli, in July 2021, lasted 10 days. He had been admitted for a major colon operation. He claims to have kept “after-effects” of anesthesia, which have pushed him to rule out knee surgery so far.
During an interview in January, Jorge Bergoglio confided again to suffer from diverticulitis, an inflammation of the diverticula, hernias or pockets which form on the walls of the digestive system.
The pope is constantly monitored by a team of caregivers, both in the Vatican and during his trips abroad. A precaution all the more necessary since he has a heavy medical history behind him: at 21, he almost died of pleurisy and suffered the partial removal of a lung.
