The Vatican expressed optimism over Pope Francis’s improving health, raising hopes for his early discharge from hospital, as the 88-year-old pontiff continues to recover steadily from pneumonia that followed a bout of bronchitis.
The leader of the world’s Catholics was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on 14 February with bronchitis, which became pneumonia in both lungs.
The Argentine suffered a series of breathing crises that sparked worldwide concern for his life, most recently on 3 March.
But after a week of steady improvements, the Holy See said on Monday evening that his prognosis was no longer considered “reserved”, or uncertain.
“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father continue to be stable,” it said in a statement.
“The improvements recorded in the previous days have been further consolidated, as confirmed by blood tests and clinical objectivity and the good response to pharmacological therapy.
“For these reasons, the doctors have decided today to lift their reserved prognosis.”
It added that “given the complexity of the pope’s clinical picture and the severe infection present at the time of hospitalisation, it will still be necessary to continue pharmacological treatment in a hospital setting for several more days”.
This suggests that once this therapy is completed, he should return home.
A Vatican source had earlier Monday said it was “too soon to talk about his return to Santa Marta”, the guest house within the tiny city state where the pope lives.
Francis spent Monday doing physical and respiratory therapy in his 10th-floor suite in the Gemelli hospital, the Vatican said.
