One of the physicians treating Pope Francis has stated that he will require two months of rest in the Vatican before being released from the hospital today.
The Pope will also make his first appearance in five weeks today, it was already announced, when he will bless patients from the window of his chamber at the Gemelli hospital in Rome.
On February 14, Pope Francis, 88, was brought to the hospital with a serious lung illness that has needed therapy that has changed over time, reports RTE.
The head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office stated yesterday that although the Pope is gradually getting better in the hospital, he still has to “relearn to speak” following a protracted period of high-flow oxygen treatment.
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez claimed to be reverting to his former personality and denied rumours that the pope will retire.
“The pope is doing very well, but high-flow oxygen dries everything out. He needs to relearn how to speak, but his overall physical condition is as it was before,” Cardinal Fernandez said at a presentation of a new book by Francis on poetry, reports RTE.
Only one short audio recording of the Pope speaking throughout his five-week hospital stay—on March 6—has been made public by the Vatican. His voice was cracked, breathless, and difficult to hear.
The Vatican stated the Pope’s condition remained stable with “minor improvements in breathing and mobility” in its most recent health report, which was made public Wednesday, reports RTE.
It verified that he had been getting oxygen through a nasal canula for the majority of the night instead of using mechanical ventilation to assist him breathe since Monday.
Pope Francis, who suffered pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed, has had many episodes of illness in the past two years and is vulnerable to lung infections, reports RTE.
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