Rome (CNN) “Still alive,” joked Pope Francis as he left hospital in Rome. The past few days have passed Treats respiratory infections.
He stopped talking to the press after being discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Saturday morning.
The pontiff was in good spirits when he answered questions from CNN’s Delia Gallagher about how he was feeling, “[I’m] Still alive, you know!”
When asked if he was scared because of the respiratory problem on Wednesday, the Pope recalled what an “old man” told him after experiencing a similar situation.
“An old man older than me said to me after such a situation: Father, I did not see death, but I saw it coming, it is ugly, alas!”
Pope Francis, 86, was taken to Gemelli Hospital on Wednesday and given antibiotics to treat infectious bronchitis.
The Pope — who suffered severe pneumonia as a young man and had part of his lung removed — Recent history of medical problems.
He is often seen with a walking stick and sometimes uses a wheelchair due to pain in his right knee. Last year, he canceled trips to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, saying he would miss a trip to Canada unless doctors agreed to allow him to spend 20 more days of treatment and rest for his knee. He finally went to the DRC and South Sudan in February.
Francis suffers from diverticulitis, a common condition that causes inflammation or infection of the colon. In 2021, he underwent surgery to remove part of his colon.
The Vatican says the pope is expected to attend Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
