The Sat Report: Pope Francis is leaving hospital tomorrow, but needs 2 months of complete rest
After being hospitalised for 38 days, the Holy Father is returning back to the Vatican
“The news today is that the Pope will be discharged tomorrow. This is very important for everybody all over the world.” This is how Professor Sergio Alfieri, a world leading colorectal surgeon and Clinical lead of the Gemelli University Hospital, broke the news at a hastily arranged press conference that the Holy Father is well enough to go back home to Casa Santa Marta. "Today we are happy to say that tomorrow he will be at home." Indeed we are all very happy, this is very good news.
The Pope will impart his Apostolic Blessing from the window of his private suite on the 10th floor of the Gemelli on Sunday at around noon, which will be the first time he will appear in public since he was admitted to hospital on February 14th, before then returning to the Vatican in the afternoon.
The Holy Father has received world leading medical care at the Gemelli. In certain other countries with similarly developed health care systems, and this is not an overstatement, he most probably would have died. The Italians have a reputation for aggressive life preserving measures irrespective whether you are a pauper or a pope, and as I said in a previous post, most places would have been very reluctant to perform an emergency bronchoscopy on an 88 year-old with bilateral pneumonia on the background of bronchiectasis, let alone three. This is a testament to the healthcare system in Italy, and particularly that of the Gemelli. As Dr. Luigi Carbone, the Pope’s personal physician and head of the Health department of the Vatican City State, stated at the press conference, “we doctors had a problem to solve, and we solved it.” Yes, they did, with the help of Almighty God.
At the press conference Dr. Carbone also stated that alterations and modifications have been made to the Pope’s residence in Casa Santa Marta to accommodate the new needs of the Holy Father. The Pope will be discharged on antibiotics, which at his age may well be a life-long prophylactic therapy, in addition to having at home outpatient respiratory and musculoskeletal physiotherapy, and will need complete rest for at least two months. He has been advised against receiving large groups and children.
One wonders how much work the Holy Father was actually able to do in hospital, and how much he will be able to do going forward. I very much doubt, for instance, that he will receive King Charles III of the United Kingdom next month, and I doubt that he will travel to İznik for the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. That isn’t a big deal, the Pope wasn’t there the first time round.
The Holy Father was close to death at least twice during this admission, and I look forward to hearing his spiritual reflections on this experience. Admitted with acute respiratory failure, developed multi-pathogen bilateral pneumonia, required a blood transfusion, multiple bronchoscopies, the Holy Father has had a very rough month and a bit. Undoubtedly this experience will have a huge impact on the remainder of his Pontificate. Today, however, is not the time to discuss these things. It is a day to praise God for his goodness.
Just a quick word on what Tucho Fernández said yesterday, namely that the Pope "needs to relearn how to speak." I have no idea what was in his mind when he used that turn of phrase, which gives the impression that over the course of his ministry he has never visited the sick in hospital to administer the sacraments. The Pope has not had a stroke. He does not need to relearn how to speak. His voice is weak as a result of a prolonged hospital stay, bilateral pneumonia, and mechanical ventilation. As Professor Alfieri said at today’s press conference, with pneumonia “especially in the elderly, it will take time for your voice to return to normal."
Before concluding I just want to add my praise for the professional work of Massimiliano Strappetti, the Pope’s personal nurse at the Vatican who acted quickly when the Holy Father first went to respiratory failure that led to this admission. By all accounts he is an extraordinary person who has taken great care of the Holy Father for the last couple of years, especially since the Pope was no longer able to celebrate Mass.
Let us thank God for having mercy on his servant Francis, for giving him the great gift of suffering, and let us continue to pray for the Pope’s good health and his recovery.