Pope Francis to make first public appearance tomorrow after battling double pneumonia
22 March 2025, 10:56
The Pope intends to appear at his hospital window tomorrow in his first public appearance since February.
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The Vatican announced on X that Pope Francis intends to "greet the faithful and impart his blessing" from his window.
The 88-year-old Pontiff's condition "remains stable", but doctors have yet to give any indicating regarding his discharge from Rome's Gemelli hospital.
Doctors said he no longer in critical, life-threatening condition, but have continued to emphasise his condition remains complex due to his age, lack of mobility and the loss of part of a lung as a young man.
Francis has not been seen publicly since he was admitted to the hospital on February 14 after a bout of bronchitis made it difficult for him to speak.
Doctors soon added a diagnosis of double pneumonia and a polymicrobial infection.
They are issuing fewer medical bulletins as the pontiff has been on an upward trajectory. An X-ray this week confirmed the infection is clearing.
The first three weeks of his time in hospital were marked by a rollercoaster of setbacks, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure and a severe coughing fit.
This comes as the Vatican released the first photograph of the pope for more than a month, showing Francis co-celebrating Mass in the hospital chapel last week.
The photograph is taken from behind, and shows Pope Francis wearing a purple Lenten liturgical vestment sitting in a wheelchair in front of an altar.
The Vatican said he was participating in the celebration of the Mass with other priests. No one else is visible in the photo.
It is also the first time the Vatican mentions that the pope has participated in celebrating a Mass during the last month.
There was no obvious sign that he was receiving supplemental oxygen mentioned in medical bulletins.
Read More: King and Queen set to meet Pope next month despite pontiff's ill health
In an audio recording released on March 6, the pope spoke in a laboured voice as he thanked the faithful in St Peter's Square for their prayers.
Earlier, dozens of children toting yellow and white balloons - many from war-torn countries - gathered outside Rome's Gemelli hospital to greet Francis.
While the pope did not appear from the 10th-floor suite of windows, he thanked them and acknowledged their presence in the traditional Sunday blessing.
"I know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here today to Gemelli as a sign of closeness," the pontiff said in the Angelus text prepared for the traditional prayer but not delivered live again.
"Thank you, dearest children! The pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you," Francis said.
The King and Queen will meet Pope Francis next month despite his continuing hospital treatment.
The historic gathering is scheduled to take place in Rome in early April to celebrate the papal jubilee and the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Church of England
A Buckingham Palace source said they had shared "our hopes and prayers that Pope Francis's health will enable the visit to go ahead".
The tour from April 7 to 10 will include two state visits, to Rome and Ravenna in Italy, and separately the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church, in the Vatican - the smallest independent state in the world.
Charles will pass two milestones, becoming the first British monarch to visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the resting place of St Paul since the reformation, and address both houses of Italy's parliament.
The King will hold audiences with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the monarch and his wife will attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, hosted by the president.
