Pope Francis Will Be Discharged From the Hospital on Sunday, Doctors Say
The New York Times
The 88-year-old pontiff has been hospitalized for six weeks with pneumonia in both lungs. He will need to rest in the Vatican for at least two months, his doctors said.
Pope Francis’ condition has improved enough that he will be discharged from a hospital in Rome on Sunday and sent to recover in the Vatican for at least two months, his doctors said on Saturday evening.
On Sunday, Francis plans to make his first public appearance since he was hospitalized on Feb. 14. He is expected to appear at noon on the 10th-floor balcony of Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he has been staying, to greet the crowd and to impart a traditional Sunday blessing, Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesman, said at a news conference on Saturday.
The announcement of the pope’s coming release made for a remarkable turn of events for the leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, after weeks in which he lay in critical condition and the Roman Catholic Church seemed on the brink of a conclave to pick his successor. Instead, Francis’ steady, if slow, improvement has ushered in a new phase for him and the church.
He will return to the Vatican, physically diminished, at least in the short term, without his voice, reliant on oxygen and deprived of closeness to the faithful, which has been the hallmark of his pontificate and the manifestation of his pastoral vision for the church.
“It’s a sigh of relief,” Father Antonio Spadaro, a close associate of Francis’, said Saturday evening. He added that for the church, but also for a world in flux, “there was a great anticipation, as well as need, for his presence.”
Francis had been able to govern the church from the hospital, but after he finished his blessing on Sunday he would go home, Mr. Bruni said.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Exploring an image of Sgt. Maj. Ismail Hassan of the Sudanese Army at a sniper position in a luxury apartment block across the Blue Nile from Sudan’s presidential palace.
A giant fire near one of the world’s busiest airports knocked out power, and the cause was under investigation. Hundreds of flights were canceled or rerouted, and analysts said disruptions could last days.
The ousted Assad dictatorship kept lists of millions of wanted people. Now, Syrians are openly asking whether they “have a name” on any of those lists and are sharing the news proudly.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had ordered the aerial attacks after Hamas’s “repeated refusal” to release the remaining hostages it holds. “This is just the beginning,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel would use “increasing military strength” against Hamas after talks with the group reached an impasse. The aerial assault, the first major strikes in Gaza since a truce began in January, killed hundreds, Gazan health officials said.
Sectarian-driven killings of civilians this month displayed the government’s weak control over both its own forces and affiliated fighters, experts said.
A fire set by gangs at the country’s largest public hospital underscores long-simmering problems in Haiti, which is heavily dependent on international aid.
Mark Carney, a central banker turned politician, steps into his role at a crucial moment as President Trump sets his sights on Canada’s sovereignty and keeps threatening more tariffs.
The remarks by the Russian leader suggested he wanted to draw out negotiations or make a truce impossible. Ukraine’s leader called the response to a cease-fire plan “manipulative.”
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is weighing a U.S.-backed proposal for a 30-day truce. A Kremlin foreign policy official said such a deal would only benefit Ukraine.
As President Trump’s “shock and awe” policies radiate around the world, they are galvanizing support for moderate leaders and unifying Europe.
The assault, which the mayor called the largest on Russia’s capital since the war began, was a reminder of Ukraine’s power to strike as its president proposes an air truce.
The front line inside Ukraine has become more static, Ukrainian soldiers say, even as Russia regains ground in its own Kursk region.