Pope Francis visited Rome’s main hospital for examinations on Tuesday before returning to the Vatican, two months after being hospitalized with acute bronchitis.
Matteo Bruni, the Vatican’s spokesperson, said the pontiff had “some clinical examinations and returned to the Vatican before noon” from the Gemelli hospital.
According to witnesses at the Vatican’s Perugino gate, one of the city state’s principal entrances, Francis greeted guards as he always does before retiring to his home.
Francis, 86, was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in late March and stayed for three days. The Vatican initially stated that he had gone in for routine examinations, but the pontiff later admitted that he had felt pressure in his chest and was hurried to the hospital, where bronchitis was confirmed. He was given intravenous antibiotics and released on April 1 with the remark that he was “still alive.”
When he was younger, the Argentine pope had a portion of one of his lungs removed. He also has sciatica nerve pain and has been confined to a wheelchair and walker for over a year due to strained ligaments in his knee.
Francis has had a busy schedule recently, with multiple audiences every day. The Vatican recently confirmed a travel-filled August, when the Holy See and Italy are typically on vacation, with a four-day visit to Portugal in the first week of August and a similarly long trip to Mongolia beginning Aug. 31.
The Vatican revealed the itinerary for Francis’ travel to Portugal for World Youth Day celebrations from Aug. 2-6 on Tuesday, indicating that the trips were very much on. The agenda reveals a typical busy schedule that includes all of the protocol meetings of a formal state visit, as well as various events with young people and a day excursion to the Marian shrine at Fatima.
If confirmed, Francis’ next public appearance would be his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday.
