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Pope Francis will be discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Sunday and will need at least two months of rest at the Vatican, doctors treating him have said.<\/p>\n
The 88-year-old was admitted to the hospital on 14 February with a severe respiratory infection that resulted in double pneumonia.<\/p>\n
During the past five weeks, he presented “two very critical episodes” where his “life was in danger”, Dr Sergio Alfieri, one of the doctors treating the Pope, said.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis was never intubated and always remained alert and oriented, Dr Alfieri said. The Pope is not completely healed, but no longer has pneumonia and is now in a stable condition, according to his doctors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
“Today we are happy to say that tomorrow he will be at home,” Dr Alfieri told reporters on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Pope will offer a blessing from his window at the Gemelli hospital on Sunday – the first time he will appear in public since he was admitted to hospital – before returning to his residence at the Vatican. <\/p>\n
Dr Alfieri said that patients with double pneumonia lose their voice a little and “especially in the elderly, it will take time for your voice to return to normal”.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Cardinal Victor Fernandez had said “high-flow oxygen dries everything out” and as a result the Pope “needs to relearn how to speak”, Reuters had reported.<\/p>\n
If the trend of improvement continues, doctors said, the Pope would be able to return to work as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
The Vatican had said on Friday that the Pope had seen some improvements in his breathing and mobility.<\/p>\n
It had confirmed he no longer uses mechanical ventilation for breathing at night, but was instead receiving oxygen via a small tube under his nose. During the day, he is using less high-flow oxygen. <\/p>\n
The Pope has only been seen by the public once since he was admitted to hospital, in a photograph released by the Vatican last week,<\/a> which showed him praying in a hospital chapel.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, an audio recording of Pope Francis speaking in his native Spanish was played in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.<\/p>\n His voice was breathless as he thanked the Catholic faithful for their prayers.<\/p>\n Pope Francis has spent nearly 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.<\/p>\n He has suffered a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21, making him more prone to infections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n