Pope Francis to appear in public on Sunday after five-week break

Pope Francis is set to appear in public for the first time in five weeks on March 23, to offer a blessing from the window of his room at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he has been receiving treatment for bilateral pneumonia.

Report informs, citing Reuters, that, according to the Vatican, Pope Francis will appear at the hospital window around noon tomorrow to greet the faithful.

The Vatican clarified that the Pope will not be reading a prayer this Sunday.

The 88-year-old Pope was hospitalized on February 14 due to a severe respiratory infection that required intensive care.

During his time in the hospital, the Pope was seen only once: in a photograph released by the Vatican last week, showing him praying in the hospital chapel.

Typically, Pope Francis holds his weekly noontime prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sundays, but he has not done so since February 9, prior to his hospitalization.