Pope Francis waves as he leaves the Gemelli hospital after a five weeks hospitalization for pneumonia, in Rome on March 23, 2025. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP.
Rome: Pope Francis greeted and thanked the faithful from a balcony of Rome's Gemelli hospital Sunday, the first time the 88-year-old has been seen in public since his admission on February 14.
"Thank you, everyone", a weak-sounding Francis said into a microphone, as he sat in a wheelchair waving gently to hundreds of people gathered below, doing a thumbs-up sign.
