Pope Francis waves to crowd in first public appearance since leaving hospital

Pope Francis waved to the crowd at the Vatican, as he made his first public appearance since leaving hospital.

The Pope – in a wheelchair with a breathing tube up his nose – briefly appeared on a stage in St Peter’s Square on Sunday.

The 88-year-old pontiff had not been seen in public since being discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on 23 March after receiving treatment for pneumonia.

Doctors said at the time that he would need at least two months of rest.