A Vatican source said Friday that Pope Francis spent a peaceful second night in the hospital for treatment of bronchitis and that the 86-year-old could be discharged as soon as Saturday.
Doctors said late Thursday that the pontiff’s condition had “markedly improved” since he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Wednesday and that he could be home “in the coming days.”
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, told the Adnkronos news agency on Friday that “based on the information I have, the pope will leave Gemelli tomorrow.”
He expressed hope that Francis would be able to preside over Holy Week and Easter services, Christianity’s most important holidays, which begin this weekend with Palm Sunday.
The Vatican did not respond to confirmation requests. According to a source, he spent the night “peacefully.”
The pope’s hospitalization, just weeks after completing his ten-year tenure as head of the worldwide Catholic Church, has sparked widespread concern while also fueling speculation about his future.
The Argentine, who had a portion of one lung removed when he was younger, has had a series of health issues in recent years, and this was his second hospitalization since 2021.
He has repeatedly stated that if his health fails him, he will consider stepping down, as his predecessor Benedict XVI did, but he stated in February that he has no plans to resign for the time being.
– Eating and praying –
According to a statement released late Thursday, Francis was suffering from “infectious bronchitis that necessitated the administration of antibiotics.”
The treatment resulted in “a marked improvement in his state of health,” and the pontiff could return to the Vatican “in the coming days,” according to the Vatican.
After complaining of breathing difficulties, the pontiff was admitted for what the Vatican initially claimed were pre-planned tests.
According to the Vatican, he was feeling well enough by Thursday morning to eat, pray, and work from his private suite on the tenth floor of the hospital.
– ‘World needs Pope Francis’ –
Francis, a Jesuit who appears to be most at ease among his flock, continues to travel internationally and maintain a full schedule.
However, due to knee pain, he has been forced to use a wheelchair and a walking stick in the last year and admitted last summer that he needed to slow down.
He tweeted on Thursday that he was “touched by the many messages” he was receiving in the hospital and thanked those who were praying for his recovery.
Among them is US President Joe Biden, the country’s only Catholic president.
“Jill and I are praying for Pope Francis and sending our best wishes for his speedy and complete recovery,” Biden tweeted.
“The world desperately needs Pope Francis.”
Francis was admitted to the same Rome hospital for a colon operation in July 2021 after suffering from a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that form in the lining of the intestine.
In a January interview, the Pope stated that the diverticulitis had returned.
His predecessor, Benedict XVI, shocked the world in 2013 when he resigned as the first pope since the Middle Ages, citing deteriorating physical and mental health.
The 95-year-old German theologian died on December 31.
Francis has stated that if he is unable to perform his duties, he will follow suit.
However, he has warned that papal resignations should not be the norm, and stated in a February interview that the idea was not currently “on my agenda.”
