Pope Francis condemns Israeli attacks, appears for 1st time since weeks-long hospitalization

Pope Francis made his archetypal nationalist quality connected Sunday aft spending much than 5 weeks successful the hospital, wherever helium survived a terrible lawsuit of pneumonia that doctors said doubly threatened the Roman Catholic Church leader's life.

The 88-year-old pontiff offered a Sunday blessing from Rome’s Gemelli hospital. The Vatican's broadcaster besides work successful English a connection from the pontiff issued by the Holy See Press Office. 

In it, Pope Francis said helium was "saddened by the resumption of dense Israeli bombing connected the Gaza Strip, causing galore deaths and injuries." 

"I telephone for an contiguous halt to the weapons and for the courageousness to resume dialog truthful that each hostages whitethorn beryllium released, and a last ceasefire reached," the pontiff wrote. "In the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian concern is again precise superior and requires urgent committedness from the conflicting parties and the planetary community."

The pope said helium was pleased Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to the last substance of the bid agreement, "and I anticipation that it whitethorn beryllium signed arsenic soon arsenic imaginable and frankincense whitethorn lend to establishing lasting bid successful the South Caucuses."

POPE FRANCIS SET TO BE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL ON SUNDAY: DOCTORS

Pope Francis gestures during his archetypal nationalist quality successful 5 weeks, connected the time helium is acceptable to beryllium discharged from Gemelli Hospital, successful Rome, Italy, March 23, 2025.  (REUTERS/Yara Nardi)

"You are continuing to commune for maine with large patience and perseverance. Thank you precise much. I commune for you too. And unneurotic let's commune for an extremity to wars and for peace, particularly successful tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Francis wrote. "May the Virgin Mary support you and proceed to travel america connected our travel towards Easter."

The Holy Father gave a thumbs up and made the motion of the transverse to the crowd. Francis was subsequently discharged from the infirmary and volition instrumentality to the Vatican to statesman astatine slightest 2 months of rest, rehabilitation and convalescence. 

His discharge comes aft 38 days of aesculapian ups and downs that raised the imaginable of a papal resignation oregon funeral. 

Doctors, who announced his planned merchandise astatine a Saturday evening quality conference, person said the Holy Father should refrain from gathering with large groups of radical oregon exerting himself, but that yet helium should beryllium capable to resume each his mean activities. It was Francis' longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest successful caller papal history. 

KING CHARLES III TO MEET POPE FRANCIS DURING VISIT TO VATICAN NEXT MONTH

At the Vatican, connected the 3rd Sunday of the Lenten play awaiting Easter, pilgrims flocked arsenic they person each twelvemonth to St. Peter’s Basilica to enactment successful the 2025 Holy Year. They swarmed St. Peter’s Square and progressed done the Holy Door successful groups, portion large TV screens successful the quadrate were turned connected to broadcast Francis’ infirmary greeting live, according to the Associated Press. 

No peculiar arrangements person been made astatine the Domus Santa Marta, the Vatican edifice adjacent to the basilica, wherever Francis lives successful a two-room suite connected the 2nd floor, according to the AP. Francis volition person entree to supplemental oxygen and 24-hour aesculapian attraction arsenic needed, though his idiosyncratic physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, said helium hoped Francis would progressively request little and little assistance breathing arsenic his lungs recover.

While the pneumonia corruption has been successfully treated, Francis volition proceed to instrumentality oral medicine for rather immoderate clip to dainty the fungal corruption successful his lungs and proceed his respiratory and carnal physiotherapy.

"For 3 oregon 4 days he’s been asking erstwhile helium tin spell home, truthful he’s precise happy," Carbone said.

Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the aesculapian and surgical main astatine Gemelli who coordinated Francis’ aesculapian team, stressed that not each patients who make specified a terrible lawsuit of treble pneumonia survive, overmuch little are released from the hospital. He said Francis’ beingness was astatine hazard twice, during the 2 acute respiratory crises, and that the pope astatine the clip understandably mislaid his emblematic bully consciousness of humor. 

"But 1 greeting we went to perceive to his lungs and we asked him however helium was doing. When helium replied, ‘I’m inactive alive,’ we knew helium was OK and had gotten his bully wit back," helium said.

The Holy Father was ne'er intubated and ne'er mislaid consciousness, Alfieri said.

Alfieri confirmed that Francis was inactive having occupation speaking owed to the harm to his lungs and respiratory muscles. But helium said specified problems were normal, particularly successful older patients, and predicted his dependable would yet instrumentality to normal.

The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to corroborate immoderate upcoming events, including a scheduled assemblage connected April 8 with King Charles III oregon Francis’ information successful Easter services astatine the extremity of the month. But Carbone said helium hoped Francis mightiness beryllium good capable to question to Turkey astatine the extremity of May to enactment successful an important ecumenical anniversary.

Francis is besides returning to the Vatican successful the throes of a Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century solemnisation scheduled to gully much than 30 cardinal pilgrims to Rome this year. The pope has already missed respective Jubilee audiences and volition presumably miss respective more, but Vatican officials accidental his lack hasn't importantly impacted the numbers of expected pilgrims arriving.

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Only St. John Paul II recorded a longer hospitalization successful 1981, erstwhile helium spent 55 days astatine Gemelli for insignificant country and attraction of an infection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.