On March 30, Pope Francis was hospitalized for a respiratory infection. Once receiving tests, he was diagnosed with Bronchitis. He was released on April 1 from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. 

Following his discharge from the hospital, he stopped to talk with present journalists and supporters. When asked about his condition, he told CNN’s Delia Gallagher “I’m still alive, you know!” 

While talking to those present, he had an embrace with a couple who lost their daughter the night prior. The Vatican said he stopped by the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore to pray for the children he had met in the hospital. 

The Pope has a medical history of pneumonia and had part of his lung removed at an earlier age. In 2021, he had a portion of his colon removed after a diagnosis of diverticulitis, which causes inflammation in the colon.