After more than a month in hospital, Pope Francis will be discharged on Sunday, thus returning to the Vatican after being hospitalized for double pneumonia.

"We're starting with good news, which the whole world has been waiting for. Tomorrow, Sunday, the Holy Father will return to Santa Marta," said one of the doctors at a press conference this Saturday, quoted by the international press.

At the same conference, the specialists who have been caring for the Pope since February 14, when he was hospitalized, reported that the Holy Father will need two months of rest.

This period of convalescence, which is expected to last until almost the end of May, entails 'extra' care, namely the Pope's inability to be with large groups of people. Motor and respiratory physiotherapy will continue at Casa Santa Marta, where the Pope has lived since taking office in 2013.

"Progress is greater at home, because the hospital, strange as it may seem, is the worst place to convalesce: it's the place where you get the most infections," explained Luigi Carbone, a doctor at the Vatican Health Directorate.

The hospital staff also said that the Pope was "overjoyed" when he heard he was being discharged from hospital. "He had been asking for at least three or four days when he would be able to go home," they recalled, adding that the Holy Father's response was: "I'm still alive."

As explained during the conference, during Francis' hospitalization there were two "very critical situations in which the Pope's life was at risk."

The doctors also told Pope Francis that, as far as his voice is concerned, "it will still take some time for it to return to normal".

"Let's hope he recovers soon," they said. As for the period of hospitalization, the doctors also explained that Francisco "did not have covid-19" and "is not diabetic", having been an "exemplary patient, who accepted the doctors' advice."

The doctors also explain that Francis, 88, is "improving" and that they hope he will be able to return "to his normal activities soon." The Vatican is scaling back updates on Francis' state of health as he continues to slowly recover. It should be noted that the first public image since he was hospitalized was released last weekend.

Pope Francis is due to make a public appearance this Sunday, the Vatican said on Saturday morning. (Source: NMInuto)