Pope Francis leaves hospital after being treated for bronchitis: I’m still alive

Francis, 86, was hospitalized at Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday.

Pope Francis was discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was being treated for bronchitis, telling reporters before being driven away that he’s “still alive.”

Francis, 86, was admitted to Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday after his weekly public audience in St. Peter’s Square, reportedly due to breathing difficulties. During his stay, the Pope was given antibiotics intravenously, according to the Vatican.

The Vatican released details of Francis’ Holy Week schedule as a sign of his improved health. He will preside over the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square this weekend, as well as an outdoor Easter Mass on April 9. Both Masses will be celebrated by a Vatican cardinal, a recent practice due to the pontiff’s troublesome knee.

Pope Francis is expected to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass

However, Francis is expected to attend Holy Thursday Mass, which will be held this year in a juvenile prison in Rome. It remained unclear whether he would attend the late-night, torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at Rome’s Colosseum to commemorate Good Friday.

Francis shared an emotional moment with a Rome couple whose 5-year-old daughter died Friday night at the Catholic hospital before leaving Gemelli Polyclinic late Saturday morning. Outside, Angelica’s mother, Serena Subania, sobbed as she pressed her head against the pope’s chest, who held her close and whispered words of comfort.

Francis appeared to enjoy lingering with well-wishers. When a young boy showed him his arm cast, the Pope asked, “Do you have a pen?” Three papal aides produced theirs. Francis took one of the pens and autographed the child’s already well-signed cast.

When reporters peppered him with questions, the pontiff answered in a low voice that was close to a whisper, indicating he had felt unwell – “I felt sick,” he said, pointing to his midsection – a symptom that convinced his medical staff to take him to the hospital Wednesday.

When asked how he was feeling now, Francis joked, “I’m still alive, you know.” He gave the thumbs up.

Francis exited the hospital through a side door, but his car came to a halt in front of the main entrance, where a swarm of journalists awaited. He got out of the front passenger seat and opened the car door himself. Francis had a cane at the ready.

He got back into the white Fiat 500 car that drove him away from Gemelli Polyclinic after chatting. Instead of returning home, his motorcade drove right past Vatican City and to St. Mary Major Basilica, a favorite Rome landmark of his.

Tourists rushed to take photos of him as he sat in a wheelchair, which he has used frequently in recent years to navigate longer distances due to a chronic knee problem. When he emerged from prayer, residents and tourists on the street clapped and shouted, “Long live the Pope!”

In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days at the same hospital following intestinal surgery for a bowel narrowing. After his release, he also stopped to offer thanksgiving prayers at St. Mary Major Basilica, which houses an icon depicting the Virgin Mary. When he returns from trips abroad, he also pays a visit to the church.

While speaking with journalists before leaving the hospital on Saturday, Francis praised medical personnel, saying they “show great tenderness.”

“The sick are erratic. “I have a lot of respect for people who work in hospitals,” he said. Francis also stated that he read journalists’ accounts of his illness, including one in a daily newspaper in Rome, and praised them.

Francis stopped again to speak with reporters before being driven into the Vatican through a gate of the tiny walled city-state, where he lives in a Holy See hotel. “Happy Easter to all, and please pray for me,” he said through an open car window.

“Forward, thanks,” he said, indicating his eagerness to resume his routine.

On a subsequent stop, he got out of his car to hand out chocolate Easter eggs to the police officers riding on the motorcycles at the front of his motorcade.

It was unclear whether the pope would be able to read the homily at the Palm Sunday service due to his low voice. He told reporters that after the Mass, he would return to St. Peter’s Square to greet and bless the public.

Francis had a portion of his lung removed as a young man in Argentina, making him especially vulnerable to respiratory illnesses.