Pope Francis to leave hospital Saturday in time for Holy Week, Vatican says
ROME — Pope Francis is expected to be discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he is being treated for bronchitis, according to the Vatican, which said that the pontiff was recovering in a “normal” way, had pizza for dinner and would be in St. Peter’s Square for Palm Sunday Mass.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni gave the update on the pope’s health in a written statement Friday. In a subsequent statement, he said Francis was expected to be in St. Peter’s Square for Palm Sunday Mass, which marks the start of Holy Week and ushers in a series of solemn public ceremonies that culminate on Easter on April 9.
Francis, 86, was hospitalized Wednesday at Gemelli Polyclinic, where doctors said the pontiff was receiving antibiotics intravenously to treat his bronchitis.
“Yesterday went well, with a normal clinical recovery,’’ Bruni said. “In the evening [Thursday], Pope Francis had dinner, eating a pizza, together with all those who are assisting him in these days of the hospital stay,” including doctors, nurses, assistants and Vatican security personnel.
On Friday morning, the pope read newspapers and resumed his work after breakfast.
The pontiff’s return to the Vatican hotel where he lives “is expected for tomorrow, as a result of the last tests of this morning,” Bruni said.
Pope Francis, whose leadership of the Roman Catholic Church has resonated with many Californians, celebrates his 10th anniversary as pope on March 13.
He later added that, given the expected return to the Vatican on Saturday, Francis is expected to be present in the square for Palm Sunday. He didn’t indicate whether Francis would deliver a homily during the ceremony, which is a particularly long service, or if someone else might read it for him..
Medical staff decided to hospitalize Francis on Wednesday after he returned to his Vatican residence following his customary weekly public audience in St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican reported that he had experienced difficulty breathing in the previous days.
Bruni on Thursday evening said that antibiotic treatment for bronchitis had resulted in a “marked” improvement in his health.
Francis posted a tweet Friday that was possibly inspired by his current health challenge.
The pontiff says he wrote the letter shortly after his 2013 election in case medical problems eventually impeded him from carrying out his duties.
“When experienced with faith, the trials and difficulties of life serve to purify our hearts, making them humbler and thus more and more open to God,” the pope wrote. The tweet carried a hashtag for Lent, the period of the liturgical year stressing penitence and sacrifice in the run-up to the joy of Easter, which celebrates the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion.
The Vatican seemed keen to quickly dispel any worries about the pope’s physical fitness to carry on fully with his duties. Nearly immediately after the announcement of a discharge date for Francis, the Vatican announced that the pope would meet the prime minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday in a private audience at the Apostolic Palace.
Francis had already largely stopped celebrating Mass at major Roman Catholic holy days because of a chronic knee problem, but had continued to preside at the ceremonies and deliver homilies.
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said Friday that Francis would be able to preside over — but not celebrate — Holy Week ceremonies.
Responding to Indigenous demands, the Vatican has formally repudiated the ‘Doctrine of Discovery,’ which legitimated the seizure of Native lands.
The Holy Week appointments include a taxing late-night Way of the Cross procession marked by prayers on Good Friday at the Colosseum in Rome and Easter Mass on April 9, which is traditionally followed by a long papal speech delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
During Wednesday’s hourlong public audience, Francis at times appeared visibly in pain when he moved about and was helped by aides.
In July 2021, Francis underwent surgery at Gemelli Polyclinic after suffering from a narrowing of his colon. As a young man in Argentina, Francis had part of a lung removed.
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