Pope welcomes Gemelli hospital physicians and staff to the Vatican

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

This Holy Week, Pope Francis has shown his gratitude to physicians and staff at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he received medical care for 38 days for a polymicrobial respiratory infection that resulted in bilateral pneumonia. The Holy Father was released from the Hospital with "protected discharge" on Sunday, 23 March.

As noted in a brief statement from the Holy See Press Office,  the Holy Father received a group of people from the hospital on Wednesday morning shortly before 11 a.m. in the rooms behind the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, just days before Easter Sunday.

During the roughly 20-minute encounter, Pope Francis met with doctors, managers and staff of the “A. Gemelli” Polyclinic Foundation, the Sacro Cuore Catholic University, and the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, about 70 people in total, who assisted him during his hospital stay last month.

After a few words of greeting from Daniele Franco, President of the Board of Directors of the Gemelli Foundation, along with Easter wishes and hopes for the Pope’s continued recovery, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude to all, assuring them of his prayers and asking them to pray for him in return.

“Thank you for the service at the hospital, very good, keep it up!” he concluded.

Pope Francis then personally greeted and thanked those present, starting with Dr Elena Beccalli, the rector of the University.

Improving and active

Since the Pope's release from the hospital, his condition, as noted in regular Holy See Press Office briefings, has shown further slight respiratory, mobility, and voice-related improvements.

The Holy Father has been continuing his treatment and mobility, and respiratory-related physical therapy. The Pope is able to go long periods of time without oxygen administration, and generally only needs to use high-flow oxygen with nasal cannulas in the evening or when needed.

Moreover, the Press Office also reported that Pope Francis continues his work activities and receives visits from collaborators in the Roman Curia.

Pope Francis' return to the faithful

For the first major liturgy of Holy Week, Pope Francis had chosen Cardinal Leonardo Sandri as his delegate to preside at the Mass for Palm Sunday, but the Holy Father still decided to make a surprise visit to the faithful at its conclusion.

On that occasion, Pope Francis wished a "Happy Palm Sunday and Happy Holy Week" to all those gathered for the Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion celebration in Saint Peter's Square. The Holy Father entered the Square from the Basilica, where he spent around ten minutes. Immediately after the final blessing, he offered his good wishes and then was briefly wheeled up to the faithful for further greetings. 

The Sunday prior, at the end of Mass for the Jubilee of the Sick and Healthcare Workers, the Pope had also surprised those present when he made his first public appearance in the Vatican since leaving the hospital. At that event, he appeared briefly on the stage, greeting and blessing the crowd, telling pilgrims, "Have a good Sunday, and thank you very much.”

Later that week, he made a surprise outing to spend some time in St. Peter’s Basilica, and held a private audience at the Casa Santa Marta with Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla, expressing his best wishes for their wedding anniversary, and ventured to Rome's Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pray.

This encounter with the group from Gemelli at his residence this morning marks the Holy Father's first group gathering since his release from the hospital.

Holy Week Liturgies

Pope Francis has delegated some of his collaborators to preside over the Holy Week and Easter Liturgies. The Press Office has not added any details regarding the Pope's possible presence or participation in those events. It will provide another briefing on Friday to update journalists accordingly.

On Holy Thursday, Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, President Emeritus of APSA, will preside over the Chrism Mass in the morning.

On Good Friday, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches, will preside over the Passion Liturgy in St. Peter's Basilica. Later that evening, Cardinal Baldo Reina, the Pope's Vicar General of Rome, will preside over the Via Crucis at the Colosseum. The Pope himself has written the meditations for that Via Crucis, which the Press Office will publish at noon on Friday.

On Holy Saturday evening, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the Easter Vigil.

On Easter Sunday, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Vicar General emeritus of His Holiness for Vatican City State and President emeritus of the Fabric of Saint Peter’s, will preside over the Easter Sunday Mass.