Pope Francis returns home after a short stay in the hospital

By Vatican News correspondent

Pope Francis was discharged from Gemili Hospital on Saturday morning after a short hospital stay that included check-ups and treatment for bronchitis.

In a brief statement on Saturday morning, the media office of the Holy See indicated that before his departure, His Holiness the Pope received the leadership of the hospital, including Franco Agnelli, Rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. Marco Elefante, general manager of the medical clinic; and the ecclesiastical assistant general of the hospital, Bishop Claudio Giulidori, as well as the medical team and healthcare workers who assisted him during his convalescence.

The Agostino Gemelli University Clinic, the largest hospital in Rome, is the teaching hospital for the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University. The hospital is named after Franciscan Friar Agostino Gemelli, physician and psychologist, who was also the university’s founder and first rector.

As he left the hospital, Pope Francis stopped his car briefly to greet those present, pausing for a moment to embrace and pray with the couple who lost their daughter during the night.

Visit Santa Maria Maggiore

The Holy Father then proceeded to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where he prayed in front of the icon of Mary, Salus Populi Romani, for all the sick and those suffering from illness or the loss of their loved ones. And he prayed in a special way for the children whom he met yesterday in the pediatric oncology and pediatric neurosurgery department of the hospital, entrusting them with the protection of the Blessed Virgin.