A frail-looking Pope Francis returned to the Vatican Sunday after making his first public appearance in five weeks following his battle with a life-threatening case of double pneumonia — and he made sure to stop at his favorite basilica on the way home.
The 88-year-old pontiff still has a long road ahead of him following his 38-day hospital stay, which was sparked by a bronchitis-induced sickness— and doctors say Francis needs to convalesce for two months after the health scare.
“From his hospital room, Pope Francis has reminded us that every moment of life is precious and that, at any time, it may be asked of us,” the Vatican said in a statement.
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The pope, in a wheelchair, also offered a brief blessing to the gathered crowd of about 3,000 faithful outside his 10th-floor papal suite at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was admitted after his diagnosis.
“Thank you to everyone!” the pope faintly said, according to the Vatican, which added that the pontiff had planned to give an address but instead “wished to greet them more with his presence than with his voice still affected by the respiratory therapies he has been undergoing.”
His admirers burst in chants of “Viva il papa!” and “Papa Francesco” when he was wheeled to the window — and the pope responded in a breathless voice that he saw “this woman with the yellow flowers. Brava!”
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He even threw a thumbs-up, raised a victory fist and made a small sign of the cross— though the upper part of his arms noticeably didn’t move when he made any gestures.
The pontiff stayed at the window for less than two minutes before he was wheeled away — deeply exhaling and closing his eyes before he disappeared back into the hospital.
But he finally headed home Sunday morning, sitting in the passenger seat of his white Fiat 500L while wearing oxygen-laden nasal tubes as he crossed the Perugino gate of Vatican City.
His motorcade made a detour en route to the Vatican, stopping at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, which houses the pope’s favorite Madonna icon.
While he didn’t exit the car, he did hand the basilica’s cardinal a bouquet to place in front of the Salus populi Romani icon, a Byzantine-style painting Francis adores and will one day be buried near.
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Francis was ordered to start his two-month rehabilitation when he returned to the Vatican — and to avoid big groups or intense exertion.
But the Argentine pope — who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man — should be able to resume his normal activities eventually.
Until then, the pontiff will have supplemental oxygen and 24-hour medical care as needed.
His personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, said he hoped Francis would progressively need less and less assistance breathing as his lungs recover.
“For three or four days he’s been asking when he can go home, so he’s very happy,” Carbone said.
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The appearance marks the first time Francis has been seen by the public since being admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened.
Doctors later diagnosed the pontiff with a bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infectionand soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs.
Pilgrims cheered and applauded when Francis’ greeting from Gemelli was broadcast live on giant TV screens in St. Peter’s Square.
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“For me it was an important emotional experience to see him, because many people were waiting for this moment,” said Sister Luisa Jimènez, a nun from Francis’ native Argentina.
But another nun from the same order, Colombian Sister Angel Bernal Amparo, was concerned about his apparent bloating and difficulty speaking.
“He didn’t look well,” she said. “He couldn’t (talk) and I realized it was because of his breathing and, well, he left right there. But I was glad to have seen him.”
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His 38-day stay marks the longest of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest in recent papal history.
Only St. John Paul II recorded a longer hospitalization in 1981 when he spent55 days at Gemellifor minor surgery and treatment of an infection.
Despite the many procedures — and his use of a mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe — the pope never lost consciousness and was never intubated.
His recovery has thrilled the Catholic faithful, many of whom were beginning to doubt that the church head would make it.
“Unfortunately yes, there was a moment when many were saying that he might not make it. And it was painful for us,” Mario Balsamo, the owner of a coffee shop in front of Gemelli, said.
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“Instead, today with the discharge, we are very happy that he is well and we hope he will recover soon and will recover his strength.”
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the medical and surgical chief at Gemelli who coordinated Francis’ medical team, said Francis’ life was at risk twice, during the two acute respiratory crises.
“But one morning we went to listen to his lungs and we asked him how he was doing. When he replied, ‘I’m still alive,’ we knew he was OK and had gotten his good humor back,” he told a news conference late Saturday.
Alfieri said Francis was still having trouble speaking due to the damage to his lungs and respiratory muscles.
But such problems were normal, he said, especially in older patients. And he predicted the pope’s voice would eventually return. F
Francis is also continuing to take medication to treat a more minor respiratory infection.
With Post wires
