VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis returned to the Vatican on Sunday after surviving a five-week battle in hospital against double pneumonia that became the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy.
The 88-year-old pope, who also made his first public appearance since Feb. 14 before being discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital, left the facility shortly after noon.
A car carrying the pontiff was accompanied by police vehicles through Rome, making a short detour to take flowers to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, a church to which Francis has a special devotion and visits frequently.
Though the pope has returned from hospital, his doctors have said it would still take “a lot of time” for his aging body to heal fully.
They have prescribed a further two months of rest at the Vatican and told him to avoid large or stressful meetings, leaving unclear how much activity Francis will undertake in the coming months.
Just before leaving the hospital on Sunday, Francis smiled and waved at a group of well-wishers gathered outside. He used a wheelchair, as he has done for several years.
His face looked swollen and there were bandages visible on both arms underneath his white cassock during the appearance, which lasted only a few moments.
He spoke briefly, with a feeble voice, to thank 79-year-old Carmela Vittoria Mancuso in the crowd below. Mancuso, who visited the hospital each day during the pope’s treatment, had brought yellow flowers for him. She said afterwards that her heart “was bursting” when the pope noticed her.
Francis had only been seen by the public once before during his hospital stay, in a photo the Vatican released last week, showing the pontiff at prayer in a hospital chapel.
The pope, who has been receiving oxygen to help him breathe throughout his hospital stay, was breathing on his own during the public appearance. But he was seen using a small hose under his nose for oxygen while traveling in his car.
In the moments before the pontiff’s appearance on Sunday, the crowd of hundreds of well-wishers called out for him, chanting “Francis, Francis, Francis.”
