Francis thanked the throng and gave a thumbs up before departing the hospital. To say farewell, hundreds had assembled on a bright Sunday morning.
“This lady with the yellow flowers is visible to me. “Brava!” said Francis, looking fat and exhausted. Before being brought back inside, he made a feeble sign of the cross.
“Papa Francesco” and “Viva il papa!” were chanted by the audience, which included patients who had been carried outside to see his fleeting presence.
He requires two months of rest and recuperation, doctors warned at a press conference on Saturday night, when they announced his scheduled discharge.
During this time, he should avoid straining himself or meeting large crowds of people. However, experts said that he should ultimately be able to return to all of his regular activities.
After the longest hospital stay of his 12-year pontificate and the second-longest in recent papal history, Francis’ return home was a real relief.
