Pope Francis to return home after month in hospital, doctors say – ryan

Pope Francis will leave the hospital on Sunday and make his first public appearance after being admitted for treatment in mid-February for a number of respiratory issues, according to the Vatican Press Office.

Why It Matters

The 88-year-old pontiff was hospitalized on February 14 with a case of bronchitis that eventually developed into simultaneous bronchitis and pneumonia. The pope suffered a number of respiratory complications, such as inhaling some vomit that led to aspiration and required noninvasive mechanical ventilation.

Francis is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, with approximately 1.3 billion followers worldwide.

What To Know

Recent updates have indicated that Francis has seen his condition improve despite various complications, with the pope saying he no longer feels in imminent danger.

He has remained largely engaged in church matters during his hospitalization, even participating in a video conference for the Vatican’s weeklong spiritual retreat at the beginning of Lent—the 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and repentance leads up to Easter Sunday.

Now, the pontiff’s doctors have said he will be discharged on Sunday—an announcement made shortly after the Vatican Press Office reported that Francis had decided to make a public appearance, albeit from the window of his room at the Gemelli Hospital.

“The recommendation for a period of convalescence of at least two months is very important,” Sergio Alfieri, head of the pope’s medical team, said at a press conference held on Saturday evening local time.

Initially, the Vatican said that Francis “intends to appear from the window on the tenth floor of the Gemelli Hospital in Rome to greet and bless at the end of the Angelus” on Sunday, which will “be distributed in written form as in recent weeks.”

Instead, he will now return to the Vatican and continue his recovery at his home.

The pope also expressed his “great joy” over the many “pilgrims” who have gathered from dioceses across Italy to Rome for the Jubilee Year, which occurs roughly every 25 or 50 years in the Catholic Church and usually involves pilgrimage to Rome.

The Vatican first released a photo of the pope last week to show him “in prayer after concelebrating the Eucharist this morning. It’s the first to be released since the Pope’s hospitalization on 14 February.”

Vatican News has regularly released videos and photos of people gathered outside Gemelli Hospital and praying for the pontiff.

What People Are Saying

Pope Francis in an address about the Jubilee Year said: “Recently, I have very much felt the support that comes from your closeness, particularly the prayers which you have been accompanying me with. Even though I can’t be with you physically, I want to express my great joy in knowing that you are united to me, and among yourselves, in the Lord Jesus.”

What Happens Next?

The pope will attend to the weekly Angelus, a weekly noon-time prayer on Sunday, and return to the Vatican after receiving a clean bill of health, but his doctors said his body would need “a lot of time” to fully heal after the five-week battle with pneumonia.

Update, 3/22/25 at 2:37 p.m. ET: This article and headline have been updated to reflect breaking news that the pope will return home on Sunday.