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14-04-2025
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis made a brief appearance in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday at the end of a Palm Sunday service, greeting the crowds from his wheelchair as he continues to recover from double pneumonia.
“Happy Palm Sunday, Happy Holy Week,” the pope said, before once returning inside the Vatican, stopping occasionally to talk with the faithful, including a group of delighted nuns.
Francis, 88, was discharged from hospital on March 23 after spending five weeks being treated for the lung infection, which his doctor later said had nearly killed him.
His medical team have urged him to take two months rest and the pope initially remained out of view after returning home. However, in a sign that he might be feeling stronger, he has made four unannounced appearances this past week, and also briefly met Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla.
It is still not known how much he will participate in the forthcoming Holy Week, the most important week in the Church calendar which is packed with services and events.
Pope Francis, who is taking two months’ rest as he recovers from double pneumonia, made an unannounced visit to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Thursday dressed in black pants rather than his usual, traditional white papal attire.
In a video verified by Reuters, the 88-year-old pontiff is seen in a wheelchair wearing black pants and with a striped blanket wrapped around his chest.
The pope, waving at visitors to the basilica as attendants pushed his wheelchair, had a small nasal hose to receive supplemental oxygen, the video showed.
The date of the video recording was verified by Reuters by its metadata and confirmed by the person who shared it.
“We were visiting St. Peter’s Basilica and saw some guards passing by and making way, so we went to see what it was, and it was the pope,” said Luiz Gil, who took the video. “Few people noticed, it was very quick, but he stopped to talk to a family with a baby.”
Francis is recovering at the Vatican after spending 38 days in hospital for double pneumonia, in the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy.
He has only made one previous public appearance since being discharged on March 23, when he briefly greeted crowds during an event in St. Peter’s Square on April 6.
The pope rarely makes public appearances wearing civilian garb rather than his traditional papal vestments, but has occasionally dressed down during some trips abroad.
The Catholic Church starts its busiest week of the year on Sunday with the countdown to Easter, but Pope Francis remains out of public view after surviving double pneumonia and it is unclear whether he will take any part in the celebrations.
Doctors have prescribed the 88-year-old pontiff two months of rest to allow his ageing body to fully heal, meaning he may spend much or all of Holy Week when Christians recall Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection out of public view.
“This will certainly be a very different Holy Week for the pope and for the Catholic faithful,” said Anna Rowlands, a Catholic academic at England’s Durham University.
“The near silence of the pope… could intensify the meaning of parts of the week for many,” she said.
The pope would normally preside over at least eight Vatican ceremonies during Holy Week, culminating in Easter Sunday Mass, when tens of thousands of people flock into St. Peter’s Square to celebrate the day they believe Jesus rose from the dead.
Vatican officials are still unsure whether Francis, who came close to death in hospital, may try to make brief appearances, or partake in some of the events via a video link. (Int’l News Desk)
