Pope jokes he’s still alive as he leaves the hospital

Vatican Visits to South Africa and the Gemelli Polyclinic: Pope Francis on Wednesday after a Trip to the DRC and South Sudan

Pope Francis joked that he was still alive as he left the Rome hospital where he had been treated for a respiratory infection.

When asked if he got scared on Wednesday due to his respiratory problems, the Pope recalled what an “old man” told him after going through a similar situation.

After leaving the hospital, Pope Francis paid a visit to one of Rome’s most famous churches, Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, and prayed for the sick children he met while being treated, the Vatican added.

He has often been seen with a walking stick and sometimes uses a wheelchair due to pain in his right knee. Last year, he canceled a trip to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan after doctors said he might also have to miss a later trip to Canada unless he agreed to have 20 more days of therapy and rest for his knee. He ultimately went to the DRC and South Sudan in February.

diverticulitis can cause inflammation or an injury to the colon and is a common condition that Francis suffers from. He had surgery to remove part of his colon.

Francis was hospitalized at the Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday after he had breathing problems following his weekly public audience. The pope was given antibiotics by injecting them, the Vatican said.

Before departing, Francis had an emotional moment with a Rome couple whose 5-year-old daughter died Friday night at the hospital. Serena Subania, mother of Angelica, sobbed as she pressed her head into the chest of the pope, who put a hand on the woman’s head.

Francis was eager to meet well-wishers. The pope gestured as if he was asking the boy if he had a pen. A papal aide handed Francis one, and the pope autographed the cast.

The pope answered in a whisper as reporters pressed him with questions, indicating that he had a pain in his chest that convinced his medical staff to take him to the hospital.

Pope Francis and the Gemelli Polyclinic Motorcade: The Vatican’s First Pseudosymphonic Mass

Francis was taken away by the white car from Gemelli Polyclinic. An Associated Press photographer said the motorcade sped past Vatican City, instead of going straight home.

On Friday, Vatican officials said Francis would be at St. Peter’s Square for Palm Sunday Mass to mark the start of Holy Week, which culminates on Easter, April 9.