ROME – Pope Francis Sunday made his first public appearance since leaving the hospital two weeks ago, coming into St. Peter’s Square at the close of a Mass for the Jubilee of the Sick and Healthcare Workers.
The pope came out in his wheelchair and was receiving oxygen through nasal tubes, but still managed to speak, telling faithful in a breathless and weak-sounding voice, “Happy Sunday to everyone, thank you so much!” The pope was accompanied by his personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti.
Francis came out for the final blessing of an April 6 Mass celebrated by Italian Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and responsible for organizing the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, on the occasion of the Jubilee for the Sick and Healthcare Workers.
The April 4-6 Jubilee for the Sick and Healthcare Workers is part of the broader jubilee year, and the pope’s surprise appearance at the end of the Mass marks the first time he has been seen in public since being discharged from the hospital March 23.
Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital Feb. 14 for treatment of a complex respiratory infection and double pneumonia. He spent 38 days at the facility that included two brushes with death before returning home.
He is currently observing a two-month period of rest in which he continues his drug treatment, as well as motor, respiratory and voice therapy. He continues to receive high-flow oxygen treatment as needed during the day and at night.
The pope’s appearance at Sunday’s Mass appears to be a mild violation of doctor’s orders for his two-month convalescence, during which he is supposed to be avoiding crowds and meetings with individuals that are unfamiliar.
In a statement Sunday, the Vatican said the pope, before joining the Jubilee for the Sick and greeting faithful in St. Peter’s Square, went to confession inside St. Peter’s Basilica, spent time in prayer, and passed through the basilica’s holy door.
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In an Angelus address written by the pope and distributed for publication Sunday, he noted how the day’s Gospel reading recounts the story of a woman caught in adultery, whom Jesus saves from stoning.
While the scribes and pharisees wanted to kill the woman, Jesus, he said, “restores the lost beauty to this woman.”
“She has fallen in the dust; Jesus passes his finger on this dust and writes a new story for her,” he said, calling this the “finger of God” that saves his people and frees them from evil.
Francis reflected on his recent hospitalization and his ongoing period of rest, saying that even in these difficult moments he can feel “the finger of God” and has experienced “his caring touch.”
“On the day of the Jubilee of the sick and the world of healthcare, I ask the Lord that this touch of His love may reach those who suffer and encourage those who care for them,” he said, saying he is also praying for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.
Medical personnel do not always work in “adequate conditions,” and some are even victims of aggression, he said, saying, “Their mission is not easy and must be supported and respected.”
“I hope that the necessary resources will be invested in treatment and research, so that health systems are inclusive and attentive to the most fragile and the poorest,” he said.
Pope Francis also acknowledged the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, which took place Sunday, voicing hope that the occasion would be a “sign of hope” for those who need peace and social inclusion.
He thanked sporting organizations and associations “that educate in fraternity in practical way.”
Francis closed his address praying for peace throughout the world, especially in Ukraine, “stricken by attacks that are claiming many civilian victims, including a lot of children.”
“The same is happening in Gaza, where people are reduced to living in unimaginable conditions, without shelter, without food, without clean water,” he said, praying that weapons would be silenced and dialogue among parties would be resumed.
He also prayed for the release of all Israeli hostages, and for aid to be delivered to the population in Gaza.
“Let us pray for peace throughout the Middle East; in Sudan and South Sudan; in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Myanmar, hard hit by the earthquake; and in Haiti, where violence rages, and two religious sisters were killed a few days ago,” he said, asking for the Virgin Mary’s intercession.
In a homily for Sunday’s Mass written by Pope Francis and read aloud by Fisichella, the pope said he shares the experience of illness that many participating in the Jubilee of the Sick are facing.
“Facing suffering together makes us more human, and the ability to share the pain of others is an important step forward in any journey of holiness,” he said.
He asked society not to “exclude from our lives those who are frail, as at times, sadly, a certain mentality does today. Let us not banish suffering from our surroundings,” he said.
Rather, the pope prayed that society would turn this “into an opportunity to grow together and to cultivate hope, thanks to the love that God first poured into our hearts, the love that, above all things, remains forever.”
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