As he departed the hospital in Rome after a three-day stay, Pope Francis quipped that he was “still alive.”
He was taken to Gemelli Hospital in the middle of the week with respiratory problems and was later identified with pneumonia.
According to the Vatican, he is reacting to medicines and will be freed on Saturday, based on test findings.
“I wasn’t scared because I’m still alive,” the 86-year-old pontiff told media and well-wishers outside the hospital before being taken away.
He was seen from the vehicle beaming and waiving before stepping out to talk to a gathering. He then proceeded to the Vatican.
The Pope’s hospitalization occurred just days before Easter, the biggest week in the Christian calendar.
Holy Week, as it is called, is packed with activities and ceremonies that can be physically taxing.
According to Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni, the Pontiff is expected to attend this weekend’s Palm Sunday ceremony.
The Argentine Pontiff, who celebrated his tenth year as Pope earlier this month, has had a number of health problems throughout his life, including having a portion of one of his organs removed at the age of 21.
He has also been using a scooter in recent months due to leg issues.
The Pope, on the other hand, has stayed busy, touring the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan in February. He presided over the burial of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, the month before.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
