Pope returns to Vatican after five weeks

Full illness recovery ‘will take time’

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Pope Francis returned to the Vatican on Sunday after surviving a five-week battle in hospital against double pneumonia that became the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy.

The 88-year-old pope, who also made his first public appearance since Feb 14 before being discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital, left the facility shortly after noon.

A car carrying the pontiff was accompanied by police vehicles through Rome, making a short detour to take flowers to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, a church to which Pope Francis has a special devotion and visits frequently.

Though the pope has returned from hospital, his doctors have said it would still take “a lot of time” for his ageing body to heal fully.

They have prescribed a further two months of rest at the Vatican and told him to avoid large or stressful meetings, leaving unclear how much activity Pope Francis will undertake in the coming months.

Just before leaving the hospital on Sunday, Pope Francis smiled and waved at a group of well-wishers gathered outside. He used a wheelchair, as he has done for several years.