Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital

The Pope has been in hospital for the last five weeks.

The 88-year-old has been receiving treatment at Gemelli Hospital in Rome since 14 February for a severe respiratory infection.

It was previously reported that the Pope would appear from the window of his hospital room tomorrow to offer a blessing and a greeting.

Cardinal Victor Fernandez said: "The pope is doing very well, but high-flow oxygen dries everything out.

"He needs to relearn how to speak, but his overall physical condition is as it was before."

Doctors at the hospital recently said that the Pope's condition was no longer critical having initially been brought in with bronchitis and later with double pneumonia and a polymicrobial infection.

There are plans for the Pope to meet the King and Queen who are visiting on April 8.