Pope Francis has returned to the Vatican after being discharged from Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, where he had been receiving treatment for pneumonia for five weeks, Al Jazeera reports.
The 88-year-old pontiff, who was admitted to the hospital on February 14 after a case of bronchitis worsened, made a brief public appearance on Sunday from a hospital balcony before his departure. Using a wheelchair, Pope Francis waved, smiled, and gave a thumbs-up to well-wishers gathered below.
In a brief address, delivered in a noticeably feeble voice, the Pope thanked an elderly woman in the crowd who had brought him yellow flowers.
A car carrying Pope Francis, escorted by a convoy of police vehicles, left the hospital shortly after noon.
Simultaneously with his discharge, the Vatican released Pope Francis’ Angelus prayer, which called for an “immediate” end to Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, the resumption of dialogue for the release of captives, and a “definitive ceasefire.”
Prior to Sunday’s appearance, the Pope had only been seen publicly once during his hospital stay, in a photo released by the Vatican showing him praying in a hospital chapel.
Hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside the hospital prior to the Pope’s appearance, chanting “Francis, Francis, Francis.”
On Saturday, one of the Pope’s treating physicians announced that he would be discharged on Sunday and would require two months of rest at the Vatican.
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