By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis left Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Sunday following a five-week stay to be treated for pneumonia, making his first public appearance since February 14 by waving to well-wishers from a balcony moments before he was discharged.
Francis, 88, went to hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that became the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy.
A car carrying Francis left the hospital shortly after noon on Sunday, and was accompanied through Rome by a convoy of police vehicles towards the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
The pontiff, who has a special devotion to the church and goes there frequently, returned to the Vatican shortly after the visit.
The pope’s doctors said on Saturday it would still take “a lot of time” for his aging body to fully heal, and said they had prescribed the pontiff a further two months of rest at the Vatican.
