Pope Francis was released from the hospital on March 23 after surviving a life-threatening case of pneumonia.
Francis, 88, made his first public appearance in five weeks on March 23 when he appeared on a balcony at Rome’s Gemelli hospital to bless a crowd of hundreds that had gathered to see him. Many chanted “Viva il papa!” and “Papa Francesco” as he looked down from above. The pope was then released to the Vatican, where he will undergo a two-month period of rehabilitation and convalescence.
Francis was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 after a case of bronchitis progressed. He was diagnosed with a complex bacterial, viral, and fungal respiratory tract infection, and he soon had pneumonia in both lungs. The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed when he was young and suffers from chronic lung disease.
His 38 days at Gemelli were Francis’s longest hospital stay of his 12 years as pope and the second longest in recent papal history. The uncertainty of the pope’s condition raised questions about a potential papal resignation or funeral.
The pope’s doctors said he should avoid exerting himself or meeting with large groups of people, but he will eventually be allowed to continue with