Rome, March 23 (LaPresse) – After 38 days of hospitalization, Pope Francis has left the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where he had been admitted since February 14 for bilateral pneumonia, and returned to the Vatican. Before being discharged, the Holy Father appeared on a small balcony of the Gemelli hospital, sitting in a wheelchair, during the Sunday Angelus to greet the many faithful present. “I thank you all, I greet this lady with the yellow flowers,” the Pope said with a faint voice. It was his first public appearance since the day of his hospitalization. Pope Francis then left the hospital in a white Fiat 500, slowly driving through the crowd with the windows closed. He waved to the crowd of pilgrims waiting for him and returned to the Casa Santa Marta. His recovery will last at least two months.
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