Vatican City, April 7: Pope Francis has made his first public appearance since being discharged from hospital two weeks ago after treatment for double pneumonia.
On April 6, Pope Francis appeared in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in a wheelchair to greet cheering crowds, according to Reuters.
Pope Francis , 89, has been absent from public view since March 23, when he made a brief appearance before leaving Rome's Gemelli Hospital after more than five weeks of treatment. It was the most serious health crisis of his 12-year reign as head of the Catholic Church.
In an unannounced move, Pope Francis entered the square just before noon on April 6, at the end of a Mass celebrating the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year.
According to Reuters, Pope Francis approached the main altar in bright sunlight, waved to the crowd and said briefly in a weak voice and with an oxygen tube still attached to his nose: "Happy Sunday everyone. Thank you very much."
The Pope smiled broadly as he greeted the crowd. His voice was said to have improved since his appearance on March 23, when he had difficulty speaking.
Pope Francis normally delivers his weekly Sunday midday blessing in St. Peter's Square. However, he has not been able to do so since February 9, the ceremony before he was hospitalized.
He was admitted to hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, which later developed into double pneumonia, a particularly serious condition because he had suffered from pleurisy as a young man and had to have part of his lung removed.
Doctors have recommended that Pope Francis rest for two months to allow his body to recover and the Vatican has scrapped the head of the church's entire previous schedule.
Britain's King Charles is scheduled to make a state visit to Italy next week but has canceled a previously scheduled meeting with Pope Francis. The Vatican has not yet announced whether the pope will preside over Easter Mass on April 20.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
