Pope Francis to make first public appearance today as he returns to Vatican after five weeks in hospital
23 March 2025, 06:42
Pope Francis is set to be discharged from hospital today, after just over 5 weeks of receiving treatment for double pneumonia.
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Doctors issued their first in-person update on the pontiff's condition on Saturday, as they confirmed he would be returning to the Vatican after more than a month of treatment.
It signals that he has made good progress in his battle with the disease affecting both his lungs, although he will likely need time to recover in the Vatican in the coming weeks.
The 88-year-old has been receiving treatment at Gemelli Hospital in Rome since February 14.
The Saturday briefing was the first since February 21, a week after the pontiff was taken to hospital.
Read more: Pope Francis to make first public appearance tomorrow after battling double pneumonia
Read more: King and Queen set to meet Pope next month despite pontiff's ill health
He later experienced several respiratory crises that landed him in critical condition, though he has since stabilised.
Doctors said had said earlier today he was no longer in critical, life-threatening condition.
They stressed that his condition remains complex due to his age, lack of mobility and the loss of part of a lung as a young man.
The Vatican also announced on X earlier today that Pope Francis intends to "greet the faithful and impart his blessing" from his window in his first public appearance since his battle with the disease.
The first three weeks of his time in hospital were marked by a rollercoaster of setbacks, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure and a severe coughing fit.This comes as the Vatican released the first photograph of the pope for more than a month, showing Francis co-celebrating Mass in the hospital chapel last week.
The King and Queen will meet Pope Francis next month despite his continuing hospital treatment.
The historic gathering is scheduled to take place in Rome in early April to celebrate the papal jubilee and the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.
A Buckingham Palace source said they had shared "our hopes and prayers that Pope Francis's health will enable the visit to go ahead".The tour from April 7 to 10 will include two state visits, to Rome and Ravenna in Italy, and separately the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church, in the Vatican - the smallest independent state in the world.
Charles will pass two milestones, becoming the first British monarch to visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the resting place of St Paul since the reformation, and address both houses of Italy's parliament.
The King will hold audiences with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the monarch and his wife will attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, hosted by the president.
