ROME – Pope Francis was released from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, where he has been battling double pneumonia for the past five weeks.
The pontiff, 88, made a brief public appearance for the first time since his hospitalization and was seen smiling and waving to the cheering crowds as he appeared on the balcony of the hospital in a wheelchair. Francis said: “Thank you all,” into a microphone, and appeared to make the sign of the cross. The pope looked frail and struggled to speak, but acknowledged one woman in the crowd who was holding flowers, saying: “I see a woman with yellow flowers. Brava!” before being wheeled back into his room.
The Vatican said Francis left the hospital in his white Fiat 500L and headed to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pray, where he offered flowers to be placed before the icon of the Virgin Mary Salus Populi Romani. He is expected to return home to Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City, with the head of his medical team saying that he will need at least two months of rest once he returns to the Vatican, while receiving additional medical treatment.
Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on February 14, initially with a case of bronchitis. He was later diagnosed with a severe respiratory infection, and also diagnosed with a “polymicrobial infection” of his respiratory tract as well as bilateral pneumonia. The pope was in critical condition for part of his hospitalization, and doctors said he also suffered two “critical episodes” during which his life was in danger. Francis was given oxygen therapy and at one point he was placed on a non-invasive ventilator, according to medical staff.
While Pope Francis did not offer his usual weekly prayer, the Vatican released a text prepared by the Pontiff Sunday which read in part: “In this long period of hospitalization, I have had the opportunity to experience the patience of the Lord, which I also see reflected in the tireless care of doctors and healthcare workers, as well as in the devotion and hopes of the families of the sick.”
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