Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital tomorrow but needs two months of rest, say doctors

Pope Francis is to be released from hospital tomorrow after receiving treatment for double pneumonia, but doctors insist he will also need at least two months of rest.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been at Gemelli Hospital in Rome for more than five weeks since being admitted for a severe respiratory infection on 14 February.

Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of the team taking care of the Pope, told reporters: “Tomorrow [Sunday] the Holy Father will be discharged, that means he will return to the Santa Marta [his residence within the Vatican]”.

“During his hospitalisation, his clinical conditions presented very critical episodes, during which the Holy Father was in danger of losing his life.”

Dr Alfieri said the pontiff was now in a “stable clinical condition” but he would continue taking medication orally “for quite a long time”.

“It’s very important that he follow a period of convalescence and rest for at least two months,” he added.

The Vatican previously said he would appear from the window of his 10th floor hospital room on Sunday to offer a blessing.

A photo released by the Vatican last week showed the leader of the Catholic church celebrating Sunday mass in a hospital chapel.

The Vatican said in a statement that Pope Francis wanted to come to the hospital window around noon (11am UK time) on Sunday to give a greeting and blessing.

One senior cardinal said on Friday it could take time for the Pope to “relearn to speak” after using oxygen during his hospital stay.

Dr Sergio Alfieri addressed this, during a news conference on Saturday, pointing out that when someone has double pneumonia “the lungs are damaged”.

“They [lungs] have been damaged and breathing muscles have been strained. One of the first things that happens is that our voice diminishes… like when you use your voice too much”. But he insisted that, in time, the voice would return to normal.

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Despite the Pope’s discharge from hospital, there has been no update about his plans to meet the King and Queen.

They are due to make a state visit to the Vatican on 8 April.

But doctors confirmed on Saturday they had prescribed two months of convalescence and had advised him against taking any meetings with large groups or that take special effort.

Doctors at the facility recently said he is no longer in a critical condition – having been diagnosed with a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and then double pneumonia.

It marks the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy and the longest he has been out of public view since his election as pontiff in 2013.