Pope Francis will be released from the hospital on Sunday after 38 days of fighting a life-threatening pneumonia case.
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, director of medical director of Jagley, said Saturday that Francis will need at least two months of rest and recovery as he continues to recover to the Vatican.
Francis was taken to Jagley Hospital on February 14 after a bronchitis worsened. Later, he developed life-threatening cases of pneumonia.
Pope Francis' doctors made the first face-to-face update on the Pope's condition within a month, indicating good and stable progress he made in the fight against bipneumonia.
Saturday night's briefing was the first since February 21, a week after 88-year-old Francis was taken to the hospital. He then experienced several respiratory crises, putting him in a critical state, even though he was stable.
In another development, the Vatican announced that Francis will appear on Sunday morning to bless his followers in the 10th floor suite of the hospital.
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Francis released an audio message on March 6, with the Vatican circulating his photos on March 16, but Sunday’s blessing will be the first live appearance since Francis was admitted to hospital on February 14, as it has become the longest hospitalization of his 12-year-old pope.
The Argentine Pope, who suffers from chronic lung disease, is prone to respiratory problems in winter and removes a portion of the lung at a young age and is admitted after the condition of bronchitis worsens.
Doctors first diagnosed complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory infections, and shortly thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low platelets and renal failure, and all of them were resolved after two transfusions.
The worst setback began on February 28, when Francis experienced an acute cough and inhaled vomit, asking him to use a non-invasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe.
In the next few days, he suffered two more respiratory crises, which required doctors to manually inhale mucus, at which point he began to sleep in a ventilated mask at night to help his lungs clear the accumulation of fluid.
He never lost consciousness, and the doctor reported that he was smart and cooperative.
The Vatican Media Office reported that over the past two weeks he has stabilized and registered for slight improvements.
He no longer needs to wear a ventilated mask at night, nor needs to cut his reliance on high flows of oxygen during the day.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
