Pope Francis will be leaving hospital soon after 38-day stay
Pope Francis to be released on Sunday
Pope Francis is expected to be released from the hospital Sunday after 38 days battling pneumonia in both of his lungs, according to his doctors.
Pope Francis is set to be released from the hospital Sunday after battling a life-threatening case of pneumonia in both lungs.
Francis’ doctors provided their first in-person update on the pontiff’s condition in a month, in a sign that he has made good and steady progress in his battle against double pneumonia. His doctors cautioned that the 88-year-old pope will need at least two months of rest and rehabilitation once he returns to the Vatican.
What was Pope Francis in the hospital for so long?
The backstory:
Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened. He later developed a life-threatening case of pneumonia and experienced several respiratory crises that landed him in critical condition, though he has since stabilized.
The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease, is prone to respiratory problems in winter and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted after a bout of bronchitis worsened.
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Doctors first diagnosed a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low blood platelets and the onset of kidney failure, all of which later resolved after two blood transfusions.
In this picture released by the Vatican Press Hall Pope Francis celebrates a mass inside the chapel of the Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Credit: Vatican Press Hall)
The most serious setbacks began on Feb. 28, when Francis experienced an acute coughing fit and inhaled vomit, requiring he use a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe. He suffered two more respiratory crises in the following days, which required doctors manually aspirate the mucus, at which point he began sleeping with the ventilation mask at night to help his lungs clear the accumulation of fluids.
At no point did he lose consciousness, and doctors reported he was alert and cooperative. Over the past two weeks, he has stabilized and registered slight improvements, the Vatican press office has reported. He no longer needs to wear the ventilation mask at night, and is cutting back his reliance on high flows of supplemental oxygen during the day.
A candle depicting Pope Francis is placed at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized in Rome on February 25, 2025. (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)
Pope Francis to bless faithful from hospital
What's next:
The Vatican also announced that Francis would appear on Sunday morning to bless faithful from his 10th floor suite at the hospital. While Francis released an audio message on March 6 and the Vatican distributed a photo of him March 16, Sunday’s blessing will be the first live appearance since Francis was admitted on Feb. 14 for what has become the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.