Pope Francis waves as his car enters The Vatican, after te Pope was discharged from the Gemelli hospital on April 1, 2023 in Rome, where he has been treated for bronchitis. – The 86-year-old pontiff was admitted to Gemelli hospital on March 29 after suffering from breathing difficulties. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

A jovial Pope Francis joked with well-wishers on Saturday as he left hospital after a three-night stay for bronchitis, and headed back to the Vatican to prepare for Christianity’s most important week.

The 86-year-old pontiff, who was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Wednesday with breathing difficulties, got out of the car transporting him and smiled and joked with the crowd.

Asked by someone how he felt, he quipped twice with a big smile “I am still alive!”

Francis will now begin preparations for Holy Week and Easter, the most important week in the Christian calendar.

The pontiff felt unwell Wednesday after a general audience in St Peter’s Square, but his condition improved after he was given antibiotics.

On Friday, the pope visited the children’s cancer ward at the hospital, handing out chocolate Easter eggs and baptising a weeks-old baby boy.

As he left on Saturday, he reached out to bless sick people, and stopped to hug and pray with distraught parents whose young daughter had just died.

The Argentine pope confirmed on Saturday he will preside over Palm Sunday mass in St Peter’s Square, the start of a busy week of events leading up to Easter.

Francis’ hospitalisation was his second since 2021, when he underwent colon surgery, also at Gemelli.

His increasing health issues over the past year have sparked widespread concern, including speculation that he might choose to retire rather than stay in the job for life.

Pressed by journalists Saturday as to whether he had been scared by his latest illness, he shook his head and said “no”.

He was set to dive back into work at the Vatican, with a meeting with a top cardinal on the agenda for later Saturday.

His predecessor, Benedict XVI, quit in 2013, in a radical step not seen since the Middle Ages.

Visitors to St Peter’s Square on Saturday expressed relief over his recovery.

French tourist Nathalie Leon said “we feel he’s tired, but he’s resilient. He is an extraordinary pope… we count on him”.

Francis marked 10 years as the head of the worldwide Catholic Church earlier this month.

He has pushed through major governance reforms and sought to forge a more open, compassionate Church, although he has faced internal opposition, particularly from conservatives.