General
Pope Francis Will Be Discharged From the Hospital on Sunday, Doctors Say
The 88-year-old pontiff has been hospitalized for six weeks with pneumonia in both lungs. He will need to rest in the Vatican for at least two months, his doctors said.
Pope Francis’s condition has improved enough that he will be discharged from a hospital in Rome on Sunday and sent to recover in the Vatican for at least two months, his doctors said on Saturday evening.
They added that his case of pneumonia in both lungs had been so severe that it had twice put his life in grave danger.
The doctors said that the pope’s condition had been stable for the last two weeks, and that he had overcome his most dangerous infections, but that he was not completely healed and needed to rest for at least two months.
He would require therapy and oxygen, as is normal for patients recovering from pneumonia, before he could resume his regular schedule, his doctors said. They urged that the pope avoid meeting with large groups, people with small children and other possible sources of infection.
“He was very happy,” said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the leader of the medical team taking care of the pope. He said the pontiff had been asking for days when he could go home.
For weeks Catholics around the world have been praying for his recovery, and since Feb. 25, cardinals have led a nightly rosary prayer in St. Peter’s Square that draws hundreds of the faithful each night.
