Pope Francis has this morning appeared on his hospital balcony before being discharged following an extraordinary five-week long battle with double pneumonia. 

The Pontiff was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 having suffered a severe respiratory crisis at the Vatican. 

He was later diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs and was said to be in ‘critical condition’ several times as millions across the world prayed for his good health. 

But on Sunday, the 88-year-old was at last discharged, as hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital and Vatican to catch a glimpse of Francis in what has become his first public appearance in five weeks.

The leader of the Catholic Church spoke from a wheelchair on the 10th-floor papal suite, simply saying: ‘Thank you, everyone. I can see a woman with some yellow flowers. How good!’ before bidding goodbye to hospital staff who have been caring from him since he fell sick. 

The woman in the crowd, named Carmela Vittoria Mancuso, was seen beaming with a bouquet of yellow flowers. She had been visiting the outside of the hospital on a daily basis to pray for the good health of the Pope.

Francis appeared to make the sign of the cross to the roaring crowds before he was taken back into his room. 

A white Fiat then arrived outside the hospital to transport the Pontiff back to the Vatican where he will begin his recovery. He returned at around noon.

Doctors yesterday revealed he will need at least two months for this, however, after enduring the serious illness. 

Francis’ personal doctor, Luigi Carbone, said: ‘For three or four days he’s been asking when he can go home, so he’s very happy’, as per France24.

Yesterday morning, the Vatican announced that Francis would greet well-wishers outside the Gemelli Hospital with a wave at around noon today. 

‘Pope Francis intends to wave and offer a blessing from the Agostino Gemelli Hospital in Rome after Angelus prayers,’ the Vatican said. 

Following his discharge, the Pope will reportedly need to ‘relearn to speak’ after using oxygen throughout his stay at hospital. 

‘The Pope is doing very well, but high-flow oxygen dries everything out,’ Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the Vatican’s chief doctrine official said yesterday. 

‘He needs to learn how to speak, but his overall physical condition is as it was before.’ 

Close advisers to the Pontiff said that he was in ‘good humour’ and ‘recovering well’ on Friday evening nevertheless, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin admitting the enamored Pope will ‘need some time’ to recover fully.

Earlier this week, the first photo of the Argentinian Pope since his Valentine’s Day hospitalisation was released.

The photo showed the Pontiff celebrating Holy Mass in the chapel of the tenth floor apartment in Rome where he has been treated.

A statement from the Vatican said: ‘This morning [16 March] Pope Francis concelebrated the Holy Mass in the chapel of the apartment on the 10th floor of the Policlinico Gemelli.’

 The appearance at around noon was not the Pope’s first greeting to the public from the Gemelli Hospital, however. 

In July 2021, he recited the Angelus prayer from a balcony on the medical institution’s 10th floor following colon surgery.

But he has never previously been hospitalised for this long during his papacy, and while his reappearance will be greeted with relief by followers, questions remain over who might lead the busy schedule of religious events leading up to Easter, a highlight of the Christian calendar.

The Vatican press office said on Wednesday that no definite decisions had yet been taken in that regard, adding that the Pope’s clinical condition was ‘improving’ and he was no longer using an oxygen mask.

A daily bulletin on the health of the Pope has been published by the Vatican throughout his battle in hospital. 

Francis had part of one lung removed as a young man and, despite his improvement, speculation abounds that he could step down due to his fragility, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Benedict XVI.

On Monday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s second-ranking official, told reporters that he had noted an improvement in Francis’s health during a visit.

But asked whether the conversation had turned to the Pope’s resignation, he replied: ‘No, no, no, absolutely not.’

Catholics and others worldwide have been praying for the Pope’s speedy recovery, with many leaving flowers, candles and notes for him outside the Gemelli hospital.

A number of leading cardinals too held prayer services at the Vatican to pray for the Pontiff’s good health, with thousands gathering on a daily basis to recite the Rosary Prayer. 

Even as he remained in hospital, the Pope expressed his gratitude for the widespread support he has received.

The Pontiff too continued holding almost nightly phone calls with Palestinian Catholics in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. 

In updates on X posted during his hospital stay, the 88-year-old also wished his best to Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and Kivu in early March.