Pope Francis made a surprise public appearance on Sunday, the first time the leader of the Catholic Church has been seen in public since leaving hospital two weeks ago.
Francis greeted crowds at the Vatican and seemed to be in good spirits. He was seated in a wheelchair and wearing what appeared to be a nasal cannula aiding his breathing.
The 88-year-old pontiff spent five weeks in hospital with pneumonia in February and March. According to his medical team, the pope came close to death during the illness.
Francis appeared in better health than when he was last seen in public, which was two weeks shortly before he was released from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. At that time, he struggled to speak and raise his arms, but managed to wave to people and gave a thumbs up from a balcony.
On Sunday, the pope appeared to move his arms around with more ease. His voice was still weak, but stronger than two weeks ago.
The pope’s appearance had not been previously announced.
Crowds of worshippers gathered at Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square on Sunday when the pope made his short appearance after a mass dedicated to the sick.
When the smiling pontiff was wheeled in, those there cheered wildly.
The Vatican said that the pope went to confession in St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning and gathered in before greeting the pilgrims and the faithful in the square.
Pope Francis is cheered at by faithful at the end of a mass in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican, on April 6, 2025.
Andrew Medichini/AP
Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on February 14, initially suffering from a severe respiratory infection. He was subsequently diagnosed with a polymicrobial infection, which evolved to pneumonia in both lungs.
He was discharged on March 23 and was expected to convalesce at Casa Santa Marta, his residence in the Vatican. His doctors said in a news conference at the time that he would need to recuperate for at least two months to allow his body time to fully heal.
The prolonged hospital stay marked the biggest health crisis Francis has experienced since he was elected as pope in 2013.
His doctors told reporters that there were “two very critical episodes in which the Holy Father’s life was in danger” during the 38 days he was hospitalized.
News
A Dog K9 Visited the Dying Veteran Who Once Saved Him — What Happened Next Was Unbelievable
# Rang They said John McKinley had weeks left, perhaps days if the next infection came hard. He accepted the news with the courtesy of a man who had long ago learned that arguing with authority only wasted breath. He…
Dying Mother Dog Collapsed at the Veteran’s Door With 3 Frozen Pups — He Saw Her Scar and Cried
Lewis Grant heard the scratching under the storm. At first, he thought it was the old spruce by the east window, its branches dragging against the cabin wall whenever the wind came hard down from the Bitterroot Range. The blizzard…
What Two Puppies Did to a Former K9 Veteran Will Shock You — His Reaction Melted Every Heart!
Ethan Ward had come to the abandoned K-9 field to say goodbye. He told himself it was for practical reasons. The old training grounds were scheduled to be torn down before spring, sold to a developer from the city who…
Veteran in Wheelchair Visits K9 He Rescued Years Ago, What Happened Next Brought Everyone to Tears!
There are phone calls a man spends his life waiting for without knowing it. Samuel Hayes was sitting by the window when his came. Snow clouds had fallen low over the Colorado foothills, muting the late afternoon until the world…
Baby Dog Keeps Knocking on Veteran’s Door at 5AM — The Reason Will Break Your Heart
The knocking came at five in the morning. Three soft taps. Then silence. Caleb Turner opened his eyes in the dark and did not move. For a moment he was twenty-nine again, lying in a forward operating base in Helmand,…
The Dog Was Tied To A Tree In The Middle Of The Snowstorm—But The Old Man’s Faith Created A Mirac
Frank Morrison found the dog because the axe slipped. If the axe had bitten cleanly into the frozen pine log, if the knot had not caught the blade at an angle and sent a bright spark of pain up his…
End of content
No more pages to load
