LONG PROFILE: Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital

Record ID: 1987411

  • Title: LONG PROFILE: Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital
  • Date: 8th March 2023
  • Summary: Pope Francis visits Southeast Asia and Oceania, the longest trip of his papacy. During his 12-day trip, the pontiff urged action on climate change, pressed for interfaith dialogue, and reinforced the Catholic Church's presence in a region where it is a small minority. PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA (FILE - SEPTEMBER 8, 2024) (REUTERS) INDIGENOUS MAN PERFORMING CROWD WAITIN
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: POPE FRANCIS PROFILE VATICAN
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: Various
  • Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA01I800101011970RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGE IN SHOT 123
    Pope Francis, who has been battling pneumonia for more than five weeks, will be discharged from hospital on Sunday (23 March) but will need a further two months of rest at the Vatican, the head of his medical team said on Saturday.
    Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that became the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy.
    While Francis will return to the Vatican on Sunday, his doctors said it would take "a lot of time" for his aging body to fully heal.
    They said they had prescribed the pope two months of repose, and had advised him against taking any meetings with large groups, or that require special effort.
    "The recommendation for a period of convalescence of at least two months is very important," Sergio Alfieri, head of the pope's medical team, told the press conference.
    Francis, who was fighting double pneumonia, suffered four acute attacks of what the Vatican called "respiratory crises" during his time in hospital.
    Alfieri said that two of the crises had been critical, with the pope "in danger of his life".
    The pontiff no longer has pneumonia, but is also not completely healed from a "complex" infection involving several microorganisms, said the doctor.
    Alfieri emphasized that while Francis had used non-invasive ventilation through a mask over his mouth and nose to help breathe, the pope had never been intubated during his stay in hospital.
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