Pope Francis has been discharged from hospital after surviving a life-threatening bout of pneumonia.
He appeared on a public balcony to bless the crowd in his first public outing since he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
The Pope is now on his way to the Vatican – where crowds were waiting for his arrival.
“I see this woman with the yellow flowers. Brava!” a tired-looking Francis said from the hospital balcony before he was discharged.
He waved, gave a thumbs up – and a weak sign of the cross before being wheeled back inside.
Chants of “Viva il papa!” and “Papa Francesco” could be heard from the crowd, which included patients who had been wheeled outside just to catch his brief appearance.
The blessing came shortly before he was released to return home to the Vatican for a two-month period of rest and convalescence.
Pope Francis waves as he leaves Gemelli Hospital. Pic: Reuters
Doctors announced his planned release on Saturday, and said the Holy Father should refrain from meeting with big groups of exerting himself – but added that he should be able to resume all normal activities eventually.
His return home brings to an end a 38-day hospital stay, the longest of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest in recent papal history.
“Today I feel a great joy,” said Dr Rossella Russomando, a doctor from Salerno who didn’t treat Francis but was at Gemelli on Sunday. “It is the demonstration that all our prayers, all the rosary prayers from all over the world, brought this grace.”
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