Francisco is discharged from the hospital and jokes: “I’m still alive”

Francisco is discharged from the hospital and jokes: “I’m still alive.”/VOA

Pope Francis was released Saturday from a Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, joking with reporters before leaving, saying: “I’m still alive.”

Francisco, 86, was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital on Wednesday after he reportedly had trouble breathing after his weekly public hearing. The pontiff received intravenous antibiotics, according to the Vatican.

In a sign that he is in better health, the Vatican has released details about Francis’ schedule for Holy Week. He noted that the pope will preside over this weekend’s Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square and an outdoor Mass on Easter, to be celebrated on April 9. A cardinal from the Vatican will be at the altar to celebrate both masses, a practice that has been implemented recently because the pontiff has had some knee problems.

But Francis is scheduled to celebrate Mass on Holy Thursday, which this year will be held in a youth prison in Rome. At the moment it remains unclear if he will attend the Via Crucis procession to mark Good Friday.

Vatican: Pope will leave hospital on Saturday, will preside on Palm Sunday

Before leaving, Francis had an emotional moment with a Roman couple whose 5-year-old daughter died Friday night at the hospital. Serena Subania, Angelica’s mother, wept for her as she placed her head on the pope’s chest, who held her and spoke comforting words.

Francisco seemed willing to spend time with the faithful. When a boy showed him his arm in a cast, the pope made a gesture as if to ask: “Do you have a pen?” A papal aide handed him one, and the pope autographed the cast.

The pontiff responded in a near whisper as reporters barraged him with questions, saying he felt chest pain, a symptom that convinced his medical staff to rush him to hospital on Wednesday.

When asked how he felt, Francisco jokingly replied: “I’m still alive” and then gave a thumbs up.

Francisco left the hospital from a side entrance, but his car parked in front of the main gate, where a group of journalists was waiting for him. He opened the car door and got in. Francisco carried a cane for support.

The pontiff sat in the passenger seat of a white Fiat 500 car, greeting a group of journalists outside the hospital early Saturday. But instead of heading straight home, his motorcade passed Vatican City, according to an Associated Press photographer outside the Holy See.

“Happy Easter everyone, pray for me”

The pope was apparently on his way to the basilica in Rome, which is one of his favorites. After he was discharged from the same hospital in July 2021 after undergoing intestinal surgery, Francis went to the basilica to offer prayers of thanks to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, which houses an icon depicting to the Virgin Mary.

Before leaving the hospital on Saturday, Francisco, while speaking with reporters, praised the medical staff, saying that they show “a lot of tenderness.”

“Patients are fickle, all of them, fickleness is something that comes with the disease. Patience is needed… I really admire the people who work at the hospital,” he said. Francisco also commented that he read the journalists’ notes on his illness, including the one from a Rome newspaper, and noted that they were well done.

Francis stopped again to chat with reporters before he entered the Vatican through a gate in the small walled city, where he lives in a Holy See hotel. Speaking from the window of the vehicle he said: “Happy Easter everyone, pray for me.”

Then, signaling that he was eager to get back to his routine, he said, “Go ahead, thanks.”

At another stop, he got out of his vehicle to deliver chocolate Easter eggs to police officers who rode the motorcycles in front of his motorcade.

Given his low tone of voice, it was unclear if the pope would be able to read the homily during the Palm Sunday service. He told reporters that after mass, he would go to his weekly appointment to greet and bless the public in St. Peter’s Square.

As a young man, in his native Argentina, Francisco had part of a lung removed, making him especially vulnerable to any respiratory disease.

Gregorio Borgia contributed to this report.