Pope Francis left Gemelli General Hospital on Saturday morning, April 1, and returned to Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.
(Vatican News Network) Pope Francis left Gemelli General Hospital on the morning of April 1 and returned to the Vatican after three days of hospitalization for bronchitis. “Holy Father, we cannot take it anymore. Please pray for us…”. Greetings, applause and chants of “Congratulations, Pope Francis!” from the crowd gathered in front of the Jemeli hospital were interrupted by the weeping of a woman who lost her young daughter last night.
After the medical team affirmed that the Pope’s health had improved, the Pope was discharged that morning. Before leaving the hospital, he greeted the medical staff again. The Holy See Press Office stated that Franco Anelli, rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, and his close aide Marco Elefanti, director of the Gemelli General Hospital, and Giuliodo Giuliodo, assistant to ecclesiastical affairs at the Catholic university. Bishop Claudio Giuliodori was also present.
The Pope left the hospital in a white car, and many people and journalists went up to greet the Pope. A woman and her husband approached the Pope to tell him the grief of losing their young daughter hours earlier. The pope listened to the woman’s tearful words before embracing the couple and kissing them. Taking them by the hand, the Pope pledged prayers for their daughter and bestowed his blessing and comfort on them.
Before entering the car, the Pope also greeted the children present and chatted with the reporters. The Pope smiled and joked about his health, saying “I’m still alive”, and confirmed that he will attend the Palm Sunday Mass and recite the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square the next day on the morning of April 2 Activity. Speaking of being hospitalized for breathing difficulties on Wednesday, the pope said, “I just feel unwell, but I am not afraid.”
Asked by reporters about the good things he had during his hospitalization, the Pope replied that he was moved by the hospital workers. “Being a doctor, a cleaning assistant in a hospital requires being a hero and being gentle with patients. You know, we patients are capricious, and losing our temper is caused by the disease. Patient service, I have great admiration for the people who work in the hospital. Yesterday I To go to sick children and see them being cared for so tenderly.”
After leaving Gemelli Hospital, the Pope did not immediately return to Santa Marta House, but went to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which he has visited before and after every international pastoral trip over the years. The Pope also stopped in front of the statue of the Mother of Rescue in Rome to pray that day, and entrusted the sick children, all patients, and their relatives who visited the day before, including the couple who had just lost their daughter, to the protection of the Virgin.
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