Health of Pope Francis: he will receive a medical discharge this Friday

2023-06-15 12:51:39

He Pope Francis will be discharged from hospital this Friday morning, nine days after having undergone surgery for an abdominal hernia, reported the Vatican it’s a statement. In addition, the Holy See released this Thursday the first images of the 86-year-old pontiff since his admission to the Gemelli hospital in Rome on June 7, in which he is seen in a wheelchair visiting the children’s cancer ward.

The Holy Father’s commitments have been canceled until June 18. Francis rested well overnight, his recovery is proceeding normally and his blood tests are within expected parameters, according to the Vatican statement.

Traditionally, the pontiff takes the entire month of July off, with Sunday blessings being his only public appearances, so he will have the next month to rest before his trip to Portugal from August 2-6 for World Youth Day. and to visit the Sanctuary of Fatima.

Former assistant to Benedict XVI must leave the Vatican

He Pope Francisco ordered the Arzobispo Georg Gaensweinprivate secretary and long-time assistant to the deceased Pope Benedict XVIto return to his native Germany at the end of the month without any new assignment, the Vatican said on Thursday, according to Archyde.com.

A statement from the Holy See put to rest speculation about the role that Gaenswein, a powerful figure in the Vatican for more than a decade before he was sidelined by Francis after a personal fight, would have in the Church. Former Pope Benedict died on December 31, nearly a decade after he resigned in 2013, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.

Gaenswein is 66 and it is exceptionally unusual for someone of that age and relatively young rank to not have an allowance, giving the pope’s decision a sense of banishment. The two-line statement said the pope “had arranged” for the 66-year-old archbishop to return to his diocese of Freiburg “for the time being.”

Almost all papal secretaries in the past have been assigned to run dioceses or have become cardinals or been assigned some other high-profile position. Gaenswein is nine years shy of the normal retirement age of 75 for bishops.