Pope to be discharged from hospital on Saturday, Vatican says | CNN

Rome
CNN
 — 

Pope Francis is expected to be discharged from hospital on Saturday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Friday in a statement.

Francis, 86, was hospitalized on Wednesday for the treatment of a respiratory infection.

He will participate in a Palm Sunday Mass service in St Peter’s Square, Bruni added on Friday.

The Pontiff had pizza for dinner on Thursday together with medical and police staff, and Friday “after breakfast, he read some newspapers and resumed his work. His Holiness’s return home to Santa Marta is expected tomorrow, following the results of the latest tests this morning,” Bruni said.

Bruni had earlier revealed that Francis was given antibiotics to treat infectious bronchitis during his stay in hospital.

He spent a second “restful” night at the Policlinico A. Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Vatican sources told CNN on Friday.

The pontiff – who as a young man suffered from severe pneumonia and had part of a lung removed – has had a recent history of medical issues.

He has often been seen with a walking stick and sometimes uses a wheelchair due to pain in his right knee. Last year, he canceled a trip to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan after doctors said he might also have to miss a later trip to Canada unless he agreed to have 20 more days of therapy and rest for his knee. He ultimately went to the DRC and South Sudan in February.

Francis also suffers from diverticulitis, a common condition that can cause the inflammation or infection of the colon. In 2021, he had surgery to remove part of his colon.