Pope Francis is released from the clinic

Vatican

Pope Francis is released from the clinic

After more than five weeks in the hospital, Francis is allowed to go back to the Vatican. Before that, he wants to donate the blessing from the clinic for the first time. However, the doctors recommend rest for several weeks.

Pope Francis can go home in the hospital after more than five weeks of inpatient treatment. The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church, which has been lying in the Gemelli Clinic in Rome since mid-February, will be released on this Sunday. This was announced by the treating doctors in the evening. Francis will then continue to be cared for by a doctor in his residence in the Vatican.

Doctors Sergio Alfieri and Luigi Carbone announced the surprising news in a short -term press conference in the university clinic. Before that it was already known that the head of more than 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide wants to show itself publicly for the first time. To this end, Francis wants to donate the blessing after the traditional Sunday prayer from the clinic.

Francis is treated in the hospital for pneumonia that has covered both lungs. He had also dealt with various pathogens in the airways. In the meantime, the worries about the 88 -year -old were very great – especially when the kidneys at times no longer worked fully and he also had severe breath of breathing. Since the delivery, the Vatican has only published one photo of him. He can only be seen from behind.

According to the doctors, Francis should keep rest for two more months. In his residence, Casa Santa Marta, he continues to be supplied with additional oxygen via a hose in the nose. Breathing and movement therapy also continues. In the meantime, the Pope had also received mechanical breathing aid over a mask on the mouth and nose. According to the doctors, he never artificially ventilated through intubation.

Previously, the Vatican surprisingly announced that the Pope would show himself publicly from the hospital on Sunday. For the traditional Angelus prayer, Francis wants to show himself to the public at a window of the clinic for a greeting and blessing. The spokesman for the Holy Chair, Matteo Bruni, said it stayed. Only then will the Pope leave the hospital and return to the Vatican.

As in recent weeks, Francis will not be guided by the Angelus prayer itself. Usually the Pope holds the Angelus prayer on St. Peter’s Square in front of tens of thousands of believers on Sundays at lunchtime. However, Francis has not been able to do so since his delivery on February 14th. The Sunday prayer has been published in writing since then.

From the perspective of the influential cardinal Victor Fernandez, a new phase of his pontificate begins after discharge. The Pontifex is a “man of surprises,” said Fernandez at a book presentation. Fernandez is the head of the powerful faith and is considered a confidante of the Pope. When asked whether a resignation could be part of these surprises, Fernandez said: “I don’t really think so, not.”

At the age of 88, the Argentine native is now the second oldest Pope in history. Francis is the successor to the German Pope Benedict XVI. in office for twelve years. It is still uncertain whether he can take part in the big Easter celebrations next month. This year there are particularly many pilgrims in Rome because 2025 is a holy year according to Catholic understanding.