Pope Francis leaves hospital and returns home
Asher Notheis
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Pope Francis has been released from the hospital on Saturday morning after receiving treatment for bronchitis.
Before leaving the Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic hospital, the pope, who is 86 years old, met with the leadership of the hospital, according to the Holy See Press Office. He then stopped briefly to greet several people and prayed with a couple who had lost their daughter overnight, according to Vatican News.
POPE FRANCIS IS WORKING FROM THE HOSPITAL AND ‘PROGRESSIVELY IMPROVING’: VATICAN
The pope was taken to the hospital on Wednesday after complaining about difficulty breathing. The Vatican had initially said that the pope was visiting the hospital for “previously scheduled checkups,” but tests revealed that the pope was suffering from a lung infection.
On Friday, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said that the pope ate pizza for dinner on Thursday and that his health had steadily improved to the point where he would be expected to return to the Vatican on Saturday. In a follow-up statement, Bruni added that the pope would be present for Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, when this year’s Holy Week celebrations begin.
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“His Holiness is expected to return to the Santa Marta home tomorrow, upon the outcome of the results of the last examinations this morning.”
The hospital the pope stayed at is the largest hospital in Rome and is the teaching hospital for the Catholic University’s medical school. It is named after Franciscan Friar Agostino Gemelli, who was a physician and psychologist, who was also the founder and first rector of the university.