'I'm still alive': Pope Francis leaves hospital after bronchitis treatment

Rome, Apr 1 (EFE).- Pope Francis left Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Saturday after spending three nights there receiving treatment for bronchitis.

*Pope Francis speaks to the press as he leaves the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy, 01 April 2023. EFE/EPA/ANGELO CARCONI*

When asked by reporters about his health after being discharged at 10:20am, he quipped: “I’m still alive”.

*People react as Pope Francis leaves the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy, 01 April 2023. EFE/EPA/ANGELO CARCONI*

The 86-year-old Argentine pontiff will preside over the Palm Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, which officially kicks off Holy Week.

Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said on Friday that Francis would be released from hospital on Saturday with the approval of the doctors who treated him.

Francis was admitted on Wednesday with infectious bronchitis, for which he was treated with an intravenous antibiotic infusion. EFE

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