Pope Franciscus will be discharged from the hospital this morning after a five -week battle with double pneumonia, doctors have said.
The pope was admitted to the Gemelli hospital in Rome on February 14 after he had sustained a serious respiratory crisis in the Vatican.
He was later diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs and said he was in a 'critical condition' on a number of points, while millions around the world bathe for his good health.
But on Sunday the 88-year-old Pontiff will finally be fired, doctors who have treated him revealed yesterday.
However, he needs at least two months to recover from what a serious illness has been.
The news that the pope will return to the Vatican came on the same day that it was announced that the leader of the Catholic Church will make his first public appearance since his hospital admission.
Yesterday morning the Vatican announced that Francis would greet around the Gemelli hospital today with a wave around noon today.
“Pope Francis is planning to wave and offer a blessing of the Agostino Gemelli hospital in Rome after praying Angelus,” said the Vatican.
Pope Francis will be dismissed today from the hospital after a long battle with double pneumonia in Rome
The pope spent five weeks with repairing a breathing crisis in the Gemelli hospital of Rome
On the day of the first public performance of Pope Franciscus, people walk from a window of the Gemelli Hospital, in the Vatican, March 23, 2025
After his resignation, the Pope is said to have to 'learn to speak again' after using oxygen during his stay in the hospital.
“The pope is doing very well, but high-flow oxygen dries out everything,” said Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the main official of the Vatican.
“He has to learn to talk, but his overall physical condition is like before.”
Close advisors from the Pontiff said that he was in 'good humor' and 'good recovery' on Friday evening, nevertheless, in which Cardinal Pietro Parolin admits that the Pope needs 'some time' to fully recover.
Earlier this week, the first photo of the Argentinian pope was released since his hospitalization of Valentine's Day.
The photo showed the pope who celebrated the Holy Mass in the chapel of the apartment of the tenth floor in Rome, where he was treated.
A statement from the Vatican said: “This morning [16 March] Pope Francis brought the Holy Mass together in the chapel of the apartment on the 10th floor of the Policlinico Gemelli. '
The appearance of the Pope this morning will be in public for more than five weeks.
The no later than noon will not be the first greeting of the Pope to the public from the Gemelli Hospital.
Doctor Sergio Alferi (photo), who treated the Pope, announced yesterday that Francis will be dismissed from the hospital
On Saturday it was announced that Francis will greet benefactors with a wave on Sunday at 12.00 pm
The first photo of the pope since his hospitalization of 14 February was released earlier this week
Millions around the world have prayed for the good health of Pope Francis in the midst of a health struggle that saw him in 'critical condition'
A woman is seen earlier this month in prayer in Vatican City. Pope Franciscus has been admitted to the hospital since February 14, when he was admitted to the Gemelli hospital of Rome
In July 2021 he recited the Angelus prayer of a balcony on the 10th floor of the medical institution after colon operation.
But he has never been admitted to the hospital for so long during his papacy, and although his return will be greeted with relief by followers, there will continue to be a question of who can lead the busy schedule of religious events that leads prior to Easter, a highlight of the Christian calendar.
The Vatican press office said on Wednesday that no clear decisions had yet been made in that respect, and added that the clinical state of the Pope 'improved' and that he no longer used an oxygen mask.
A daily bulletin about the pope's health was published by the Vatican during his fight in the hospital.
Francis had removed part of one lung as a young man and, despite his improvement, speculation is abundant that he could resign because of his vulnerability, in the footsteps of his predecessor Benedict XVI.
On Monday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the second rank of the Vatican, told reporters that he had noticed an improvement in Francis's health during a visit.
But asked if the conversation had settled for the pope's resignation, he replied, “No, no, no, absolutely not.”
Catholics and others worldwide have prayed for the rapid recovery of the pope, leaving many flowers, candles and notes for him outside the Gemelli hospital.
A number of leading cardinals also kept prayer services in the Vatican to pray for the good health of the Pontiff, with thousands of gathering daily to recite the rosary.
Even when he stayed in the hospital, the Pope expressed his gratitude for the widespread support he has received.
The pope also kept almost nocturnal phone calls with Palestinian Catholics in Gaza in the midst of the current conflict in the middle.
In updates about X posted during his stay in the hospital, the 88-year-old also wanted his best to Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and Kivu in early March.
