WASHINGTON — Pope Francis is set to make his first public appearance in weeks on Sunday, greeting the public from his hospital window.
The Vatican press office said the pontiff intends on imparting his blessing from his suite in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where the 88-year-old pope is being treated for his pneumonia. The planned appearance comes as he reached the five-week mark in his hospitalization.
On Friday, the Vatican reported that Francis’ overall condition remained stable, with slight improvements as he continues respiratory and physical physiotherapy. He was continuing to reduce his reliance on high-flow supplemental oxygen he has needed to breathe during the day and no longer needs the mechanical ventilation mask at night.
Francis was admitted Feb. 14 with a bad case of bronchitis that developed into a complex lung infection and double pneumonia. He has long battled respiratory illnesses and had part of one lung removed when he was a young man.
Francis’ disappearance from public view has led some to doubt the authenticity of the first, and so far only photograph of Francis released by the Vatican since his hospitalization. It was shot from behind and showed Francis at prayer in his private hospital chapel, his face hidden.
Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, said the photo was not only real but showed Francis controlling the image that he wants the faithful to have of the papacy and illness. Francis wants viewers to focus not on the spectacle of a sick pope, but on what should actually matter more to a Catholic anyway.
“If we cannot see his face … what we must look at is precisely what he himself is facing: the altar and the crucifix,” Avvenire wrote.
