Yahoo News Pope Francis ‘well enough to enjoy pizza’ after stay in hospital
Pope Francis was feeling well enough to share a pizza with hospital staff on Thursday night and is expected to be discharged on Saturday, according to the Vatican.
That means he will now attend Palm Sunday’s celebrations although he is not expected to lead the Mass after what will have been a three night stay in hospital to treat bronchitis.
The 86-year-old has responded well to antibiotics given to him at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, said Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office.
On Friday morning, he had breakfast, read some newspapers and did some work in the private papal suite on the hospital’s 10th floor where he was admitted on Wednesday after complaining of breathing problems.
He later paid a surprise visit to children on a cancer ward, where he gave out Easter eggs, rosaries and copies of a book about Jesus.
A video published by the Vatican also showed him baptising a sleeping baby boy named Miguel Angel, who woke up and cried after Francis sprinkled him with Holy Water from a small silver receptacle.
The visit lasted about half an hour before the Pope returned to the ward where he is recovering.
The Gemelli hospital is the favoured choice of pontiffs, even once being dubbed “Vatican 3” by John Paul II, who was treated nine times at Gemelli and spent a total of 153 days there.
“His Holiness’s return home to Santa Marta (his Vatican home) is expected tomorrow, in the wake of the results of the latest tests this morning,” Mr Bruni said.
As a result, Pope Francis was expected to “be present” in St Peter’s Square for the celebration of Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week.
His stay in hospital, just weeks after he marked 10 years as head of the worldwide Catholic Church, caused widespread concern and raised questions over the upcoming Easter services.
The Argentine pontiff, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has suffered increasing health issues in recent years, and it was his second stay in hospital since 2021.
He has repeatedly said that he would consider stepping down if his health failed him, following the example of his predecessor Benedict XVI – but said in February that for now, he had no plans to quit.
A Jesuit who seems most happy being among his flock, Francis continues to travel internationally and keep a busy schedule.
But he has been forced to use a wheelchair and walking stick in the past year because of knee pain, and admitted last summer that he has had to slow down.
On Thursday, he used a Twitter post to say:
I am touched by the many messages received in these hours and I express my gratitude for the closeness and prayer.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) March 30, 2023
Among them is Joe Biden, only the second Catholic president in US history, who wrote:
Jill and I are keeping Pope Francis in our prayers and send our best wishes for his swift and full recovery.
The world needs Pope Francis.— President Biden (@POTUS) March 30, 2023
In July 2021, Pope Francis was admitted to the same Rome hospital for a colon operation after suffering from a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine. He spent 10 days there on that occasion.
In an interview in January, the Pope said the diverticulitis had returned.
His predecessor Benedict XVI shocked the world in 2013 by becoming the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign, citing his declining physical and mental health.
The German theologian died on December 31, aged 95.
Francis has said he would follow suit if he was unable to do his job.
But he has cautioned that papal resignations should not be the norm, and said in an interview in February that the idea was currently not “on my agenda”.
