Pope Francis returned to the Vatican Sunday morning for the first time since being hospitalized five weeks ago. 

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, using a wheelchair and wearing nasal tubes for oxygen, exited Rome’s Gemmlli Hospital and was escorted to the Vatican by a convoy of police vehicles. The convoy stopped at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where the Pope often visits, and delivered a bouquet of flowers to be placed in front of the Salus populi Romani icon. 

Before being discharged from the hospital, the 88-year-old pontiff made his first public appearance since Feb. 14 after surviving a severe case of pneumonia that doctors said twice threatened his life.

He offered a Sunday blessing and commented on world affairs. The Vatican’s broadcaster also read in English a statement from the pontiff issued by the Holy See Press Office. 

In it, Pope Francis said he was «saddened by the resumption of heavy Israeli bombing on the Gaza Strip, causing many deaths and injuries.» 

«I call for an immediate halt to the weapons and for the courage to resume dialogue so that all hostages may be released, and a final ceasefire reached,» the pontiff wrote. «In the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation is again very serious and requires urgent commitment from the conflicting parties and the international community.»

The pope said he was pleased Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to the final text of the peace agreement, «and I hope that it may be signed as soon as possible and thus may contribute to establishing lasting peace in the South Caucuses.»

POPE FRANCIS SET TO BE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL ON SUNDAY: DOCTORS

«You are continuing to pray for me with great patience and perseverance. Thank you very much. I pray for you too. And together let’s pray for an end to wars and for peace, especially in tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,» Francis wrote. «May the Virgin Mary keep you and continue to accompany us on our journey towards Easter.»

A large crowd gathered at the main entry piazza of Gemelli Hospital, including patients wheeled outside to see him in person. The pope, seated in a wheelchair, waved from the balcony and smiled. 

The pope briefly spoke from a microphone, acknowledging a woman in the crowd holding up yellow flowers for him. Doctors have said his voice has been weakened by his illness. 

The Holy Father gave a thumbs up and made the sign of the cross to the crowd. Francis was subsequently discharged from the hospital and will return to the Vatican to begin at least two months of rest, rehabilitation and convalescence. 

His discharge comes after 38 days of medical ups and downs that raised the prospect of a papal resignation or funeral. 

Francis began his written message by telling the faithful that the parable in this Sunday’s Gospel «tells us about the patience of God, who urges us to make our life a time of conversion.» 

«Jesus uses the image of a barren fruit tree which has not born the anticipated fruit and which nevertheless the farmer does not want to cut down. He wants to fertilize it again in that it may bear fruit in the future, and this patient farmer is the Lord who works the soil of our lives with care and waits confidently for our return to Him,» the pope wrote. «In this long period of my hospitalization, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the Lord’s patience, which I also see reflected in the tireless care of the doctors and healthcare workers, as well as in the care and hopes of the relatives of the sick. This trusted patience anchored in God’s unfailing love is indeed necessary in our lives, especially when facing the most difficult and painful situations.» 

Doctors, who announced his planned release at a Saturday evening news conference, have said the Holy Father should refrain from meeting with big groups of people or exerting himself, but that eventually he should be able to resume all his normal activities. It was Francis’ longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest in recent papal history. 

KING CHARLES III TO MEET POPE FRANCIS DURING VISIT TO VATICAN NEXT MONTH

At the Vatican, on the third Sunday of the Lenten season awaiting Easter, pilgrims flocked as they have all year to St. Peter’s Basilica to participate in the 2025 Holy Year. They swarmed St. Peter’s Square and progressed through the Holy Door in groups, while big TV screens in the square were turned on to broadcast Francis’ hospital greeting live. 

No special arrangements have been made at the Domus Santa Marta, the Vatican hotel next to the basilica, where Francis lives in a two-room suite on the second floor, according to the AP. Francis will have access to supplemental oxygen and 24-hour medical care as needed, though his personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, said he hoped Francis would progressively need less and less assistance breathing as his lungs recover.

While the pneumonia infection has been successfully treated, Francis will continue to take oral medication for quite some time to treat the fungal infection in his lungs and continue his respiratory and physical physiotherapy.

«For three or four days he’s been asking when he can go home, so he’s very happy,» Carbone said.

Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the medical and surgical chief at Gemelli who coordinated Francis’ medical team, stressed that not all patients who develop such a severe case of double pneumonia survive, much less are released from the hospital. He said Francis’ life was at risk twice, during the two acute respiratory crises, and that the pope at the time understandably lost his typical good sense of humor. 

«But one morning we went to listen to his lungs and we asked him how he was doing. When he replied, ‘I’m still alive,’ we knew he was OK and had gotten his good humor back,» he said.

Faithful and pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican to follow on giant screens a live broadcast from Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, Sunday, March 23, 2025, where Pope Francis made his first public appearance since Feb. 14.  (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The Holy Father was never intubated and never lost consciousness, Alfieri said.

Alfieri confirmed that Francis was still having trouble speaking due to the damage to his lungs and respiratory muscles. But he said such problems were normal, especially in older patients, and predicted his voice would eventually return to normal.

The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to confirm any upcoming events, including a scheduled audience on April 8 with King Charles III or Francis’ participation in Easter services at the end of the month. But Carbone said he hoped Francis might be well enough to travel to Turkey at the end of May to participate in an important ecumenical anniversary.

Francis is also returning to the Vatican in the throes of a Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration scheduled to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome this year. The pope has already missed several Jubilee audiences and will presumably miss several more, but Vatican officials say his absence hasn’t significantly impacted the numbers of expected pilgrims arriving.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Only St. John Paul II recorded a longer hospitalization in 1981, when he spent 55 days at Gemelli for minor surgery and treatment of an infection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

• Israel’s army launched airstrikes on several locations in Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for a rocket attack.
• The strikes came a day after Israel said it would carry out operations in Gaza «with increasing intensity» until Hamas frees the 59 hostages it holds, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
• Tens of thousands of Israelis on Saturday again protested the government’s failure to negotiate a hostage deal and its move to fire the head of the country’s Shin Bet internal security service.

Israel launched airstrikes on several locations in Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for a rocket attack, killing six people in the heaviest exchange of fire since its ceasefire with the militant group Hezbollah began nearly four months ago.

The exchange sparked concern about whether the ceasefire would hold, days after Israel relaunched its war with another Iran-backed militant group, Hamas, in Gaza. In a statement, Hezbollah denied being responsible for the attack, saying it was committed to the truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it instructed the army to respond forcefully against dozens of targets in Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah is based. Israel’s army said six rockets were fired toward Metula, a town along the border with Lebanon. Three crossed into Israel and were intercepted.

ISRAEL ORDERS IDF TO SEIZE MORE GAZA TERRITORY IF HAMAS DOESN’T RELEASE HOSTAGES

The army said it «cannot confirm the identity of the organization that fired the rockets.» It said it struck Hezbollah command centers and dozens of rocket launchers.

An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese village of Touline killed five people, including a child, and wounded 10 others, including two children, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

Another Israeli strike Saturday night hit a garage in the coastal city of Tyre, the NNA reported, with one person killed and seven wounded. It was the first attack on the city since the ceasefire took effect Nov. 27. And a strike on Hawsh al-Sayed Ali village along the border with Syria wounded five people, according to the NNA.

In a statement, Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, asked the country’s military to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country does not want to return to war.

Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict boiled over into all-out war in September as Israel carried out waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed over 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis.

Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January under the ceasefire deal. The deadline was extended to Feb. 18, but Israel has remained in five locations in Lebanon across from communities in northern Israel. Meanwhile, Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it attacked Hezbollah, while continuing drone attacks that have killed several members of the militant group.

Lebanon has appealed to the U.N. to pressure Israel to fully withdraw. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said it was alarmed at the possible escalation of violence and urged all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made.

Israeli airstrikes pound Gaza

The strikes came a day after Israel said it would carry out operations in Gaza «with increasing intensity» until Hamas frees the 59 hostages it holds — 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

Israeli strikes on Friday night killed at least nine people, including three children, in a house in Gaza City, according to Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the bodies.

«Rubble and glass started falling on us,» said Sameh al-Mashharawi, who lost his brother in the attack. He mourned with his young nephew Samir al-Mashharawi, whose parents and siblings were killed. The 12-year-old, his head and wrists bandaged, sat in the back of a truck and cried.

Israel’s military said Friday that its forces were planning fresh assaults into three neighborhoods west of Gaza City and issued warnings on social media for Palestinians to evacuate the areas.

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE TELLS UN, ‘NO MORE EXCUSES,’ SAYS AID IS FEEDING TERRORISTS

«Hamas, unfortunately, understands military pressure,» Netanyahu’s foreign policy advisor Ophir Falk told The Associated Press.

Around 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel relaunched the war on Tuesday. Israel had already cut off the supply of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians, aiming to pressure Hamas over ceasefire negotiations.

The international community has condemned the resumed attacks.

The initial 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Most of the hostages have been freed in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens more.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It does not say how many were militants but says more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Uproar over Shin Bet chief

Tens of thousands of Israelis on Saturday again protested the government’s failure to negotiate a hostage deal and its move to fire the head of the country’s Shin Bet internal security service. They called for new elections.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The Supreme Court has ordered a temporary halt to Ronen Bar’s dismissal until an appeal is heard. Israel’s attorney general has ruled that the Cabinet has no legal basis to dismiss him.

Netanyahu said in a statement late Saturday that Bar «will not remain the head of the Shin Bet» and «Israel will remain a democratic state.» He argued that his loss of confidence in Bar long predates the Shin Bet investigation into illicit ties between several of his aides and Qatar.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for a tax rebellion and general strike if the government defies the court ruling, saying: «If this happens, the entire country needs to grind to a halt.»

Un periodista de la cadena Al Jazeera captó en vivo el momento en el que durante un bombardeo de Israel a Gaza, un proyectil cayó en el Hospital Nasser, donde, según la agrupación Hamas, resultó muerto uno de los integrantes de su ala política.

En el inicio de las imágenes, el cronista, vestido con un chaleco antibalas con la leyenda “press” en el frente (prensa en inglés), y un casco del mismo color, espera, aparentemente, a que desde los estudios de la señal lo contacten para un nuevo reporte.

Mientras sostiene su micrófono y mira hacia abajo, cruzado de brazos, de fondo se escucha un sonido que se hace cada vez más fuerte en apenas un par de segundos. De inmediato, sobre el margen superior derecho de la pantalla, aparece una fuerte explosión. El periodista se inclina hacia adelante, por el impacto.

Las llamas comienzan a salir de una ventana del edificio y el reportero de Al Jazeera inmediatamente se da media vuelta para ver qué ocurrió. Retrocede un par de pasos y le dice algo a una persona que lo acompaña.

El proyectil había impactado contra el Hospital Nasser, el más grande del sur de Gaza, en un nuevo ataque del ejército de Israel. El bombardeo mató a miembro de la oficina política de Hamas, hirió a otras y provocó un gran incendio, informó el Ministerio de Salud del territorio gobernado por la agrupación terrorista.

El ataque impactó el edificio quirúrgico del Hospital Nasser en la ciudad de Jan Yunis, indicaron las autoridades locales, días después que Israel reanudara los ataques. Esta vez, el gobierno de Benjamín Netanyahu confirmó el ataque y reportó que allí operaban milicianos de Hamas.

La misma agrupación terrorista confirmó que allí estaba Ismail Barhoum, miembro de la oficina política del grupo, quien fue, según Al Jazeera, «asesinado por la ocupación en un ataque al Hospital Nasser mientras recibía tratamiento».

«Condenamos este último crimen, que se suma a la larga historia de terrorismo de la ocupación, violando lugares sagrados, vidas e instalaciones médicas. Reafirma su desprecio por todas las leyes y convenciones internacionales y su continua política de asesinatos sistemáticos contra nuestro pueblo y nuestros líderes», se lee en a declaración.

Antes, el ministro de Defensa israelí, Israel Katz, anunció la muerte de Barhoum en el ataque, llamándolo «el nuevo primer ministro de Hamás en Gaza».

Al igual que otras instalaciones médicas en Gaza, el hospital Nasser fue dañado por las incursiones y ataques israelíes a lo largo de la guerra. Más de 50.000 palestinos han muerto hasta ahora en la guerra, señaló el ministerio el domingo .

El Ejército israelí aseveró haber “eliminado” a docenas de milicianos desde que Israel puso fin al alto el fuego el martes con ataques que mataron a cientos de personas en uno de los días más mortales en los 17 meses de guerra.

En Israel, la inquietud por la guerra y los problemas políticos iba en aumento el domingo, al igual que el enojo hacia el primer ministro Netanyahu, ya que su gobierno votó para expresar desconfianza en el fiscal de la nación, visto por muchos como un control sobre el poder de su coalición.