Status: 04/01/2023 11:28 am
Pope Francis has left the Gemelli Clinic in Rome. He was being treated there for a respiratory condition. On Friday he paid another visit to the children’s ward and baptized a baby there.
Pope Francis has left the Gemelli Clinic in Rome. The hospital stay went well, said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. Francis spoke to journalists and passers-by in front of the hospital. “I’m still alive,” he joked, announcing that he would be at the Mass on Palm Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. Recently there had been concerns in the Vatican that the Pope could miss the Holy Week services and then those at Easter.
He blessed a young couple and kissed them goodbye. He then sat in the passenger seat of a white Fiat 500. Security forces initially had trouble clearing a path for the vehicle through the large number of people present.
The head of the Catholic Church had been in the papal wing of the Roman university clinic since Wednesday afternoon. According to the Vatican, Francis was treated with antibiotics for infectious bronchitis, which led to a significant improvement. At first there was talk of a stay for planned examinations.
On Friday afternoon, the pope baptized a few weeks old baby in the hospital. He visited the clinic’s pediatric neurosurgery and oncology ward, where he thanked the medical staff for their dedicated service.
Health problems for a long time
The state of health of the 86-year-old has been changing for a long time. About a year ago, Francis broke his knee. That’s why he has been doing most of his appointments in a wheelchair since May.
He also announced in January that his intestinal disease, diverticulitis, had returned. In 2021, Francis underwent surgery for intestinal inflammation at the Gemelli Clinic.