Pope Francis, who looked weak and breathless, made it difficult to speak, made his first appearance in more than six weeks on Sunday, briefly appeared on the balcony of a Roman hospital, calling hundreds of people to gather in the square in front.
“Thank you everyone,” he said in his voice. The pope later left the hospital and stayed briefly at the cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, which owned his specialized idol of Mary before heading to the Vatican hotel where he lived.
“I saw a woman with yellow flowers,” Francis said, revealing her second-floor balcony behind her wheelchair. “She's fine,” he praised her. Then he sat with his hands waving and waving, people cheered and waved the flags.
However, in the eyes of the public for more than a month, Francis experienced profound changes and reductions, which would be a long-term recovery and a new stage for him and the church. It is obvious on the balcony that for now, the old Francis speaks on the cuffs and intimate with the body of a faithful man becomes his sprawling symbol.
As his doctor explained in a press conference on Saturday, the pope's voice was thin and furry, which could be expected for a patient who suffered severe damage to the lungs and respiratory muscles.
His appearance on Sunday met with the cheers of the faithful “Papa Francesco” outside the hospital. “Long live the Pope,” someone shouted.
The pope marked the sign of the cross in his blessing and was taken back to the hospital.
“He seems weak, and from the news, we know he still has two months to fully recover, but even in this case, we see hope,” said Patricia Olivera, a teacher from Portugal. “This pope is our hope to help us understand some very terrible things that are happening in our world,” she said. ”
Just a few weeks ago, there was concern that Francis might not recover from the pneumonia attack he suffered in his lungs and other respiratory infections. His doctor said Saturday that the pope's pneumonia was so severe that it put his life at risk twice.
However, he received medication and oxygen, resulting in a “slow and gradual improvement” that allowed him to overcome the most critical events.
For the past six weeks, Francis has not given him the traditional Sunday Angelus blessings that usually overlook St. Peter's Square from the Apostle Palace.
In the Vatican’s “Message of Angelus” published online, Francis said he “feeled saddened by the recovery of Israel’s major bombing on the Gaza Strip, causing many deaths and injuries,” calling for an immediate cessation of the fight and demanding the dialogue to resume. He also called for peace in “torture of Ukraine” as well as Myanmar, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sisters Priscilla Wangarri, a Franciscan nun from Kenya, expressed her happiness for Francis’ recovery outside the hospital. She said she had been attending the Rosary at night in St. Peter's Square to pray for his health. She added: “We love him because the church needs him and he has to shepherd.”
After leaving the hospital, Francis went to Casa Santa Marta, where he lived, and recovered for another two months. Francis should avoid unnecessary efforts and meetings with large groups or people with small children to minimize the possibility of further infection, his doctor said Saturday.
Dr. Luigi Carbone, a Vatican doctor at Francis, said the pope's residence was enough to cope with his medical needs.
Francis entered the hospital on February 14 with acute respiratory deficiency due to viral and bacterial infections.
Francis has been in a critical state for weeks after an asthma breathing crisis. Initially, mild renal failure; and bronchospasm, causing him to inhale vomit after coughing. He uses non-invasive mechanical ventilation at night and high-flow oxygen therapy during the day.
Doctors insisted that Francis had a tough schedule before he got sick and needed to be relaxed for at least two months.
“Rehabilitation is by definition the stage of recovery, so it is obvious that during the recovery period, he will not be able to perform the daily activities of meeting people as he is used to,” Dr. Carbone said.
Carlos Aguirre, a construction worker from Colorado Springs, came to the hospital as a group of Catholic pilgrims from the United States, and he said he was happy to see Francis make the modifications. He said, “This is God's will. If He comes out, it means God still has a plan.”
