Pope Francis to appear in public for the first time in 5 weeks on Sunday

Pope Francis will likely appear in public for the first time in five months on Sunday. The recuperating pope will give his blessings from the window of his room at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said on Saturday.

The pope has been battling with double pneumonia and is still receiving treatment at the hospital. He was admitted on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that has required evolving treatment.

He has not been seen in public although the Vatican released a photo of him last week praying at the hospital chapel.

Pope Francis wants to come to the hospital window around noon on Sunday (March 23, 2025) to give a greeting and blessing, the Vatican said in a brief statement on Saturday (March 22, 2025).

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How is the pope doing now?

The latest Vatican bulletins about the pope’s medical condition have been cautiously upbeat. On Friday (March 21, 2025), the Vatican said Francis had been reducing his use of high-flow oxygen to help him breathe.

One senior cardinal, however, said on Friday (March 21, 2025) that it could take time for the pope to “relearn to speak” after using oxygen during his hospital stay.

“The pope is doing very well, but high-flow oxygen dries everything out,” said Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the Vatican’s chief doctrine official. “He needs to relearn how to speak, but his overall physical condition is as it was before.”

While the Vatican has not provided an exact date for Pope Francis’ release from the hospital, his upcoming plans to meet King Charles in April have hinted at the possibility of his discharge before then.

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A ’new stage’ for Pope Francis

Pope Francis is recovering well from pneumonia and a “new stage” in his pontificate is opening, two of his closest advisers said Friday.

Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra told The Associated Press that he had found Francis in good humour and serene during the three times he visited the pope at the Gemelli hospital in Rome.

Peña Parra, who is the Vatican chief of staff, visited Francis on Feb. 24, March 2 and March 9 along with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the lone Vatican officials who have called on him aside from his personal secretaries.

“The pope will recover," Peña Parra said on the sidelines of a book launch. “The pope is recovering well. The doctors say that he needs some time, but it’s going well progressively."

With inputs from agencies