Pope Francis is set to make his first public appearance in more than five weeks on Sunday, offering a blessing from the window of his room at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital as he continues his battle with double pneumonia, the Vatican announced.
The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to the hospital on February 14 for a severe respiratory infection, which has required ongoing treatment. He has only been seen once during his hospital stay, in a photo released by the Vatican last week showing the pope at prayer in the hospital chapel.
According to the Vatican, Francis plans to appear at the hospital window around noon on Sunday to offer a greeting and blessing to the faithful. The pope usually leads a weekly noon-time prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sundays, but he has not been able to do so since February 9, prior to his hospitalization.
While he is not expected to deliver the usual prayer this Sunday, the brief appearance from the window signals that the pope is still recovering from pneumonia.
Pope Francis is particularly susceptible to lung infections due to a history of pleurisy in his youth, which led to the removal of part of one of his lungs. His hospitalization has marked the most serious health issue of his 12-year papacy, and it is the longest period he has been out of public view since his election as pope in 2013.
Recent Vatican updates have provided cautious optimism about the pope’s recovery. On Friday, the Vatican announced that Francis has been reducing his use of high-flow oxygen to assist his breathing.
However, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the Vatican’s chief doctrine official, noted on Friday that it could take time for the pope to “relearn to speak” after using oxygen during his hospital stay. “The pope is doing very well, but high-flow oxygen dries everything out,” Fernandez explained. “He needs to relearn how to speak, but his overall physical condition is as it was before.”
While the Vatican has not specified a timeline for the pope’s discharge, plans for a meeting with Britain’s King Charles on April 8 suggest that Pope Francis may return to the Vatican residence by then.
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