Pope Francis made his first public appearance since being released from the hospital two weeks ago, entering St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican in a wheelchair as part of a Jubilee Mass for the Sick.
The pope, 88, passed through a jubilant crowd before giving his blessing, and the celebrant, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, added a final blessing.
“Have a good Sunday, everyone,” Francis said. “Thank you so much.”
The Vatican issued a text prepared by Francis shortly after Mass ended on Sunday, praying for “doctors, nurses, and health workers, who are not always helped to work in adequate conditions and are sometimes even victims of aggression.”
“Their mission is not easy, and it must be supported and respected,” the statement read.
The pope then addressed some of the world’s conflicts, as he has in previous addresses.
He prayed for peace in Gaza, where “people are reduced to living in unimaginable conditions, without shelter, food, or clean water,” and “tormented Ukraine.”
“Let us pray for peace throughout the Middle East; in Sudan and South Sudan; in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Myanmar, hard hit by the earthquake; and in Haiti, where violence rages, and two religious sisters were killed a few days ago,” according to the text.
The pope had been out of public view since March 23, when he gave a brief greeting and blessing from his balcony at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, following more than five weeks of treatment for pneumonia in both lungs, the most serious health crisis of his 12-year reign. According to his doctors, his life was threatened twice during that time.
Following Francis’ brief appearance in March, the head of his medical team stated that he would need another two months of rest when he returned to the Vatican, and that his aging body would take “a lot of time” to fully heal.
Throughout his illness, the Vatican maintained that Francis continued to carry out his duties despite being out of the public eye.
Notably, he missed the Catholic Church’s jubilee celebration, known as the Holy Year, which takes place every 50 years for the remission of sin.
Despite his hospitalization, Francis maintained his practice of making near-nightly calls to the Catholic parish in Gaza as Israel’s war against Hamas raged on in the Middle East.
Despite his ongoing health issues, the Vatican has provided no indication that the pope intends to resign.