VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis will be discharged from hospital on Sunday and will need two months of rest at the Vatican, one of the doctors treating him said on Saturday.

He was admitted to hospital on Feb 14 with a severe respiratory infection that has required evolving treatment.

The Vatican said the pope also planned to make his first appearance in more than five weeks on Sunday, offering a blessing from the window of his room at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital where he has been battling double pneumonia.

The pope has been seen by the public only once during his hospital stay, in a photo the Vatican released last week, showing the pontiff at prayer in a hospital chapel.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2025