"We'd like to have you back at the Gemelli, but not as a patient!" they joked, visibly happy to see the Pope doing so well after they had saved him from death.
Lenten Campaign 2025
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Pope Francis received leaders and staff members of the Gemelli Polyclinic at the Vatican on the morning of April 16, 2025, according to the Holy See Press Office. The pontiff warmly thanked those who assisted him during the 38 days he spent in the Roman hospital being treated for a serious lung infection — a delicate period during which at least twice, his life was in danger.
About 70 people were welcomed by Francis for about 20 minutes in a room behind Paul VI Hall, close to his residence.
Among the guests were leaders of the Gemelli hospital and university, as well as the Vatican's Health and Hygiene Department. Several members of the medical staff from both facilities who assisted the Pope during his hospitalization last month were also present.
A video of the meeting, released by the Holy See, shows Pope Francis without respiratory assistance, smiling but still marked by illness. He warmly greeted his guests and assured them of his personal prayers.
“Thank you for your service at the hospital, very good, keep it up!” he told them in a still weak and hoarse voice, inviting them to pray for him in turn.
Among those present, the pontiff greeted Daniele Franco, chairman of the board of directors of the A. Gemelli Foundation, which administers the hospital, as well as the rector of the university attached to the polyclinic, Elena Beccalli.
Pushed in a wheelchair by his medical assistant Massimiliano Strapetti, the Pope was surrounded by the two doctors who had supervised his hospitalization: Dr. Sergio Alfieri, from Gemelli, and Dr. Luigi Carbone, his personal physician at the Vatican.
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