Pope Francis’ release from hospital timely for millions of Catholics

FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP

Pope Francis, hospitalized in Rome for bronchitis, was released from hospital on Saturday April 1 and will be present tomorrow at Palm Sunday mass, as the Vatican had previously announced.

POPE FRANCIS – This is good news for millions of Catholics. Pope Francis, hospitalized in Rome for bronchitis, was released from hospital on Saturday April 1 and will be present tomorrow at Palm Sunday mass, as the Vatican had previously announced.

” I’m still alive “, even allowed himself to joke the Argentine pontiff in the face of the many faithful and journalists massed around the Gemelli hospital in Rome to see him on his way out. François got out of his little white Fiat to greet them and exchange a few words.

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On Friday, the 86-year-old Argentinian Jesuit, whose state of health was in “ clear improvement » according to his doctors, had also made a surprise visit to the pediatric oncology department of the hospital, bringing the children chocolate eggs, rosaries and books. François also baptized a newborn baby a few weeks old. On a video and photos released by the Vatican, we see the pope, smiling, leaning on a walker, writing on a paper and sprinkling holy water on the head of the newborn.

After his return to the Vatican on Saturday, the Pope will be present on Sunday for the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, said Friday the director of the press service of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni. This ceremony marks the beginning of Holy Week preceding the celebrations of Easter, the most important feast among Catholics.

“He is expected (…) to preside over all the celebrations, seated in a wheelchair as has already happened on other occasions”Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, told the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera. Already on Thursday, the Vatican had already indicated that Jorge Bergoglio was better and had “back to work”.

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Highlight of the Easter celebrations in Rome: the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum. The pope should thus be able to preside over this celebration scheduled for Friday evening, April 7 and broadcast throughout the world, to the delight of the faithful.

Chronic health issues

Francis, who suffers from chronic health problems and uses a wheelchair due to knee pain, has been hospitalized since Wednesday in the private apartment reserved for popes on the 10th floor of the Gemelli University Hospital, where Pope John Paul II had stayed several times in his time.

Created in 1981, this small apartment includes a bed, television, kitchen, bathroom, office and medical equipment, as well as a small chapel, according to the media.

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After mentioning the “scheduled exams”the Vatican spokesman had finally revealed on Wednesday that Francis was suffering from a “respiratory infection” and had been having difficulty breathing for the past few days.

On Twitter, the pope said on Thursday “touched by the many messages received in recent hours”. “I express my gratitude to everyone for their closeness and their prayers”he wrote.

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