Pope Francis to Offer Sunday Blessing From Hospital Window/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Pope Francis will make his first public appearance in over five weeks this Sunday, offering a brief blessing from his hospital room window at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. The 88-year-old pontiff has been recovering from double pneumonia since his February 14 hospitalization. Though still weak, he remains in control of Church affairs and is gradually returning to public life.
Pope’s Public Return: Quick Looks
- Pope Francis to greet public from hospital window on Sunday
- First public appearance since being hospitalized for pneumonia on Feb. 14
- Vatican confirms he will not deliver full prayer, only a brief greeting
- Francis has reduced use of high-flow oxygen as recovery progresses
- Hospitalization marks most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy
- Cardinal Fernandez says pope must “relearn to speak” after oxygen use
- No official discharge date, but April 8 meeting with King Charles still planned
- Vatican photo shows pope praying in hospital chapel, face turned away
Pope Francis to Offer Sunday Blessing From Hospital Window
Deep Look
Pope Francis Plans First Public Appearance in Over a Month as Health Gradually Improves
After more than five weeks out of the public eye, Pope Francis is set to appear this Sunday from a window at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been recovering from a serious bout of double pneumonia. The Vatican confirmed Saturday that while the 88-year-old pontiff will not deliver his usual noon Angelus prayer, he intends to greet the faithful and offer a blessing—his first public act since February 9.
Francis was admitted to the hospital on February 14 with what Vatican officials described as a severe respiratory infection. His hospitalization has since evolved into the most extended public absence and gravest health crisis of his 12-year papacy.
The pope’s only public appearance during this time was a carefully framed Vatican-released photo last week, showing him praying in a hospital chapel—his face not visible to the camera.
While Francis remains physically weak, recent updates from the Vatican suggest his condition is improving. On Friday, officials said the pope had significantly reduced his reliance on high-flow oxygen, a crucial sign of recovery. However, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the Vatican’s top doctrinal official, noted that the use of oxygen had dried out Francis’ throat and vocal cords.
“He needs to relearn how to speak,” Fernandez said, “but his overall physical condition is as it was before.”
Francis has long been susceptible to lung complications. As a young man, he had pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, making any respiratory infection particularly dangerous.
Despite the seriousness of his condition, the pope has continued to exercise authority over the global Catholic Church. Vatican officials say he has remained active behind the scenes—approving the appointment of bishops, extending key reforms, and dispatching messages to world leaders and the faithful.
According to canon law, the pope holds “supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power” in the Church. While illness may limit his visibility, it does not diminish his governing authority. Church observers say this period has highlighted Francis’ distinctive leadership style: balancing vulnerability and transparency with firm control over Vatican affairs.
This approach was also reflected in how the Vatican released only one photo of Francis during his illness. Taken from behind, the image was meant to shift focus away from his physical state and toward the sacred—specifically, the altar and crucifix before him. As Avvenire, the newspaper of Italy’s bishops, noted,
“If we cannot see his face … what we must look at is precisely what he himself is facing: the altar and the crucifix.”
Francis’ willingness to show his frailty is part of a broader pattern of transparency he’s maintained since becoming pope in 2013. He has openly discussed both physical and mental health struggles, even disclosing in a 2021 book that he sought psychiatric support during Argentina’s military dictatorship.
Yet behind the humility lies a firm hand. During his hospitalization, Francis has authorized major decisions—including the appointment of new bishops and an extension of his synodal reform process—reminding critics and allies alike that he remains the Church’s ultimate authority.
While no official timeline for his discharge has been provided, a planned April 8 meeting with King Charles III in the Vatican suggests he may soon return to his residence at Casa Santa Marta.
For now, the Vatican remains cautiously optimistic, urging Catholics around the world to continue praying for the pope’s recovery. Sunday’s appearance, though brief, will serve as a powerful visual symbol of resilience and continuity for the global Church.
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