Pope Francis is making his first public appearance in five weeks before being discharged Sunday from the hospital where he survived a severe case of pneumonia that twice threatened his life and raised the prospect of a papal resignation or funeral.
The 88-year-old pontiff plans to offer a Sunday blessing from the 10th-floor papal suite at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. After saying goodbye to hospital staff, he is to return to the Vatican to begin at least two months of rest, rehabilitation and convalescence during which time doctors have said he should refrain from meeting in big groups or exerting himself.
