Sawt Falasteen - Pope to leave hospital for Vatican on Sunday

The 88-year-old pontiff has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital since February 14, when he was admitted with breathing problems, and he subsequently battled pneumonia in both lungs.

The Vatican said earlier that the pope on Sunday intended to wave and offer a blessing from Gemelli hospital.

The doctor, Sergio Alfieri, said on Saturday that "tomorrow, the pope will leave (the hospital) and return to Saint Martha's House" in the Vatican, where Pope Francis has his residential suite.

There, the head of the Catholic Church will have to observe "a long convalescence.... of at least two months," Alfieri told reporters.

Another doctor at the hospital, Luca Carbone, said the elderly pope's health "is improving" and "we hope that he will soon be able to resume his normal activities".

Alfieri said: "Further progress will take place at his home, because a hospital -- even if this seems strange -- is the worst place to recover because it's where one can contract more infections."

- Resignation talk dismissed -

The fragile state of the pope's health had spurred speculation that he could step down, as his predecessor, Benedict XVI, did.

The current hospitalisation, the longest in Francis's papacy, has raised questions over who might lead the busy schedule of religious events leading up to Easter, the holiest period in the Christian calendar.

The pope has missed the Angelus prayers -- normally recited by the pontiff every Sunday -- for five straight weeks, for the first time since his election in March 2013.

The Vatican said earlier Saturday that the pope's appearance on Sunday would follow the Angelus prayers.

Previously, on Wednesday, the Vatican had said that Francis had suspended his use of an oxygen mask.

For most of the pope's hospital stay, including critical stages, the Vatican was publishing daily bulletins on the health of Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man.

On Monday, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told reporters that he had noted an improvement in Francis' health during a visit.

Catholics and others worldwide have been praying for his speedy recovery. Many have been leaving flowers, candles and notes for Francis outside the Gemelli hospital.

Y.AlMasri--SF-PST