Pope Francis made a surprise public appearance on Sunday as he mingled with crowds at the Vatican just two weeks after leaving hospital for a serious case of pneumonia.
“A good Sunday to all. Thank you very much”, the 88-year old pope said as he was wheeled through Saint Peter’s Square in his wheelchair after a mass dedicated to the sick.
Surrounded by a mass of smartphones and cameras, and attached to nasal breathing tubes, his voice was fragile but more audible than when he left the Gemelli hospital on March 23. The Argentine’s last public appearance was on February 14.
Francis is, in theory, undergoing two months of convalescence following his life-threatening health scare, with strict rest, no public activity and no contact with crowds.
Yet the Jesuit spent Sunday morning blessing the masses gathered on the sunny square, in an encouraging signal for his health two weeks before Christians the world over celebrate Easter.
“He’s doing better, that’s clear, and he wants that to be seen,” a Vatican source said on condition of anonymity.
“He’s not yet well enough to deliver a message, but well enough to make a gesture … and show up,” the source added.
