Holy Father to Receive Final Examination on Monday

(AGI) - Rome, Italy, March 12 - Monday will see a further and final set of medical examinations, and then from that moment on John Paul II will be able to leave hospital and return to the Vatican. This is the picture regarding the final phase of the Pope's stay at Gemelli hospital, where he has been for 17 days. Weight has been given to the rumours by Father Richard Nitschke, who this morning met Monsignor Stanislao Dziwisz and gained confirmation from him of an imminent return to the Vatican. Already tomorrow there will be definite information at the Angelus prayer. If indeed the Pope is able to appear live on TV to the faithful in St Peters Square, this will mean that his term in hospital is coming to a close. Vatican TV technicians have been in the hospital to improve the connection, both in terms of picture and audio. The Pope yesterday spoke in front of a TV camera for the first time since the tracheotomy and his voice was croaky but audible, not so much when at the moment of blessing at the end of the Mass in which he took part he said, "good, good" to Tanzanian Cardinal, Polycarp Pengo, who brought him greetings from the people of that African country. Maybe he will have a hoarse voice from now on, hence the technicians are working to make him audible and comprehensible. (AGI) .
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