After being treated for bronchitis, Pope Francis left the hospital and returned to the Vatican on Saturday, making light of his sickness by declaring, “I’m still alive, you know.”

The pope, 86, was rushed to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties, but he responded quickly to an antibiotic injection, according to his medical staff.

Francis stepped out of his automobile before leaving the hospital grounds, using a walking stick to assist himself, to demonstrate that he had fully recovered.

He greeted well wishers and talked briefly to waiting reporters, confirming that he would preside over the Palm Sunday service in St. Peter’s Square and give his usual weekly address to the faithful.

Sunday’s service kicks off a week of Easter events and the Vatican subsequently said the pontiff would take part in those celebrations, supported by cardinals.

Before getting back into the car, Francis embraced a sobbing mother, whose young daughter had died overnight in the hospital, and then prayed with both the parents.

He also signed the plaster cast of a young boy with a broken arm and waved from the window of his car as he drove away.

Asked by reporters if he had been afraid during his hospital stay, the pope said: “No, afraid no.”

“In a hospital there is a lot of heroism, lots of tenderness for patients. You know sick people, we are capricious. Capriciousness comes with illness. You need to be patient,” he said, praising the work of all the staff at the Gemelli.

“I went to the children’s ward and saw with what tenderness they took care of the children,” he said.

“Now I need to sleep for four days,” he joked after answering the various questions.

The pope, who marked the 10th anniversary of his pontificate in March, has suffered a number of ailments in recent years.

He was last hospitalized in 2021 for surgery on his colon, but on that occasion, he was hidden from view as he left the Gemelli.