Pope Francis have been discharged from Gemelli hospital in Rome after spent 38 days since being admitted for the first time on 14 February ZimGospel Masters has learnt.
The 88-year-old pontiff was discharged minutes later and doctors say he will need at least two months of rest at the Vatican.
These weeks have been challenging for an 88-year-old patient battling bilateral pneumonia. Medical reports did not downplay the severity of his condition, the crises he endured, or the complexity of his clinical picture.
Yet, throughout this time, he was surrounded by an outpouring of prayers for his recovery: personal prayers, the prayers of communities, rosaries and Eucharistic celebrations. They came not only from Catholics and Christians but also from people of other faiths and those without religious beliefs, who sent him good thoughts and well-wishes. It was for all these people in prayer that today’s brief greeting was wanted and shared.
During these long days of suffering, we accompanied the Bishop of Rome in spirit. We waited, prayed, and were moved when, on March 6, Pope Francis, with his frail voice, reached out to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square and those connected worldwide, thanking them for their prayers. We were reassured on the evening of Sunday, March 16, when, for the first time, we saw him again—albeit filmed from behind—while he prayed after concelebrating Mass in the chapel on the hospital’s tenth floor.
After weeks of concern but also of trust and surrender to the will of He who grants us life and may call us to Himself at any moment, today, we have seen him again. On the day of his return to the Vatican, we received his blessing again. From his hospital room, Pope Francis has reminded us that every moment of life is precious and that, at any time, it may be asked of us. He has shown us that suffering and weakness can become opportunities for evangelical witness, a testament to a God who became Man, suffered with us, and accepted annihilation on the cross.
We thank him for sharing that, from his hospital room, war seemed even more absurd to him; for reminding us of the need to disarm the world rather than rearm it by stuffing arsenals with new instruments of death; and for praying and offering his suffering for peace, which remains so fragile today.
During the past five weeks, he presented “two very critical episodes” where his “life was in danger”, Dr Sergio Alfieri, one of the doctors treating the Pope, said.
Pope Francis was never intubated and always remained alert and oriented, Dr Alfieri said. Even though the Pope is not completely healed, he no longer has pneumonia and will return to work as soon as possible, if the trend continues, doctors say.
Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri told the BBC he felt “a really great joy, great emotion to see Pope Francis leaving the hospital”.
“It’s a great gift to the city and to the world… we support him and feel really close to him,” the mayor said.
APTN Pope Francis waves at crowds from the balcony of his suite at Gemelli hospital in Rome. APTN
Crowds gathered outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome to see the Pope.
A crowd of people gathered outside the hospital on Sunday, waiting for the Pope to appear.
“When I saw him, I felt, to be honest, a little relieved,” said Bishop Larry Kulick, from the Diocese of Greensburg in the US state of Pennsylvania. “I felt just overjoyed to see him.”
“I cried all the time because the love we breathe in this little square of this hospital was like heaven,” said Ilaria Della Bidia, a singer from Rome.
Ana Matos from Brazil said she “just arrived from Brazil today” and arrived outside the hospital “30 seconds before he appeared”. She said that “it was an amazing feeling, like when I had my son. I was so happy to see him healthy and I could see him smile”.
The Pope had only previously been seen by the public once since he was admitted to hospital, in a photograph released by the Vatican last week, which showed him praying in a hospital chapel.
Earlier this month, an audio recording of Pope Francis was played in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
His voice was breathless as he thanked the Catholic faithful for their prayers.
Pope Francis has spent 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
He has suffered a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21, making him more prone to infections.
