VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis made a surprise public appearance on Sunday as he mingled with crowds at the Vatican just two weeks after leaving hospital for a serious case of pneumonia.

“A good Sunday to all. Thank you very much,” the 88-year old pope said as he was pushed through Saint Peter’s Square in his wheelchair after a mass dedicated to the sick.

Surrounded by a mass of smartphones and cameras, and attached to nasal breathing tubes, his voice was fragile but more audible than in his last public appearance on March 23, when the pope greeted crowds before leaving the Gemelli hospital. Before that, the Argentine had not been seen since Feb 14.

Pope Francis is, in theory, undergoing two months of convalescence following his life-threatening health scare, with strict rest, no public activity and no contact with crowds ordered.

Yet the Jesuit spent Sunday morning blessing the masses gathered on the sunny square, in an encouraging signal for his health two weeks before Christians the world over will celebrate Easter.

His eagerness to reach out to the flock, however, comes against the advice of his doctors, who have urged him to avoid meeting people to limit the risk of infection. “He’s doing better, that’s clear, and he wants that to be seen,” a Vatican source said. “He’s not yet well enough to deliver a message, but well enough to make a gesture... and show up,” the source added.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2025