Pope Francis’s primary doctor during his hospitalization has said it was the pope himself who chose to keep trying different therapies when his life was most at risk, and has attributed the pontiff’s “miraculous” recovery,

After five weeks of hospitalization with pneumonia, including moments where he came close to death, Pope Francis is back at home in the Vatican recovering.

Pope Francis came so close to death at one point during his 38-day fight in hospital against pneumonia that his doctors considered ending treatment so he could die in peace, the head of the pope's medical team said.