Pope’s surprise appearance sparks Holy Week hopes

Pope Francis (Photo By Jeffrey Bruno/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

By ANSA, Philippine News Agency

ROME – Pope Francis’s surprise appearance on Sunday at a Mass in St Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of the Sick and Healthcare Workers has sparked hopes that he might be able to take part in some of the rites for the upcoming Holy Week.

It was the 88-year-old Argentine pontiff’s first public appearance since he left Rome’s Gemelli hospital on March 23 after 38 days of treatment for bilateral pneumonia.

The Vatican said Francis would need two months of convalescence after he left hospital.

“Have a good Sunday. Thank you all!” the pope said, his voice still weak but noticeably stronger than when he left the hospital.

Francis was wheeled through the square in a wheelchair and wore nasal cannulas to assist with his breathing.