The Italian-American pope Francis at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome — a tribute to an old man who left Rome in 2021 to visit Congo and South Sudan
ROME — Pope Francis was discharged on Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away: “I’m still alive.”
The Pope said an old man told him after he went through a similar situation that he wasn’t scared.
The pope was apparently headed to a Rome basilica that is a favorite of his. After he was discharged from the same hospital in July 2021 following intestinal surgery, Francis stopped to offer prayers of thanksgiving at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, which is home to an icon depicting the Virgin Mary.
He uses a wheelchair due to a knee injury and is often seen with a walking stick. He was forced to cancel his trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan because he was told he would have to rest his knee and have more therapy in order to make it to Canada. He ultimately went to the DRC and South Sudan in February.
diverticulitis occurs when there is inflammation in the colon and can be fatal. He had surgery to remove part of his colon.
Francis, 86, was hospitalized on Wednesday at Gemelli Polyclinic after reportedly having breathing difficulties following his weekly public audience. The Vatican said the pontiff was treated with antibiotics.
The Rome couple had an emotional moment with Francis before he left. Serena Subania, mother of Angelica, sobbed as she pressed her head into the chest of the pope, who put a hand on the woman’s head.
Francis was happy to be with well-wishers. The pope made a gesture as if to ask the boy “Do you have a pen” when he showed him his arm cast. Francis signed the cast after an aide handed him one.
The pontiff answered in a voice that was close to a whisper when reporters peppered him with questions, indicating he did feel chest pain, a symptom that convinced his medical staff to take him to the hospital Wednesday.
Associated Press Photograph of Francis as a Motorcade Driven by Gemelli-Peter’s Square In Vatican City on Easter Sunday
Francis sat in the front seat of the white Fiat 500 car that drove him away from Gemelli Polyclinic. But instead of heading straight home, his motorcade sped right past Vatican City, according to an Associated Press photographer positioned outside the walled city-state.
On Friday, Vatican officials said Francis would be at St. Peter’s Square for Palm Sunday Mass to mark the start of Holy Week, which culminates on Easter, April 9.