ROME, April 13 (Bernama-dpa) -- Pope Francis made a surprise public appearance in St Peter's Square on Sunday following Palm Sunday Mass, despite earlier expectations that he would not attend, reported German news agency (dpa).
At the conclusion of the service, held in front of some 20,000 worshippers, Vatican staff pushed the 88-year-old pontiff into the square in a wheelchair.
"Happy Palm Sunday and Happy Holy Week" the pope said, his voice still noticeably weak.
Francis, who is recovering from a serious bout of pneumonia, returned to the Vatican three weeks ago after spending 38 days in hospital.
Doctors advised him to rest for at least six weeks. Last Sunday, he briefly greeted the faithful in the square, marking his first public appearance since returning.
Since then, the pope has made several unannounced appearances. On Thursday, he was seen riding through St Peter's Basilica, dressed in a white sweater, black trousers, and a striped blanket.
On Saturday, he paid a short visit to his favourite church, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore near Rome's Termini station.
With Easter celebrations approaching, the pontiff's recent visibility has sparked speculation about how much he will take part.
The traditional Urbi et Orbi (To the city and to the world) blessing from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on Easter remains unconfirmed.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
