Pope Francis has left Rome's Gemelli hospital following a five-week stay to be treated for pneumonia, making his first public appearance since 14 February by waving to well-wishers from a balcony moments before he was discharged.
Pope Francis, 88, was admitted to hospital with a severe respiratory infection that became the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy.
"Thank you, everyone," Pope Francis said into a microphone, as he sat in a wheelchair waving gently to hundreds of people gathered below, doing a thumbs-up sign.
"I can see that woman with yellow flowers, well done," he said with a smile, to laughter from the crowd.
Carmela Vittoria Mancuso, 79, who visited the hospital each day during the pope's treatment, had brought yellow flowers for him.
She said afterwards that her heart "was bursting" when the Pope noticed her.
A car carrying the Pope left the hospital shortly after his balcony appearance, and was accompanied through Rome by a convoy of police vehicles. Images showed he still requires oxygen via a nasal cannula.
The pope was driven past the Vatican and on to Santa Maria Maggiore, the Rome church which is his favourite and where he stops to pray before and after trips.
He was then seen arriving back at the Vatican.
He had only been seen by the public once before during his hospital stay, in a photo the Vatican released last week, showing him at prayer in a hospital chapel.
Though the Pope has returned from hospital, his doctors have said it would still take "a lot of time" for his 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 Francis will undertake in the coming months.
'Definitive ceasefire' for Gaza
In his Angelus prayer, which was published this morning, Pope Francis called for an "immediate" end to Israeli strikes on Gaza, and for the resumption of dialogue for the release of hostages and a "definitive ceasefire".
"I am saddened by the resumption of the intense Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, with so many deaths and injuries.
"I ask that the weapons be silenced immediately and that the courage be found to resume dialogue so that all the hostages can be freed and a definitive ceasefire reached.
"The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is once again very serious and requires the urgent commitment of the conflicting parties and the international community," he said.
Francis, pope since 2013, was first admitted to hospital for a bout of bronchitis that developed into double pneumonia, caused by what his doctors called a "complex" infection involving several microorganisms.
During his 38 days in hospital, the Pope suffered four acute episodes of what the Vatican called "respiratory crises", which involved serious coughing fits caused by constrictions in his airways, akin to asthma attacks.
Two of the crises were critical, putting Francis "in danger of his life", Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of the pope's medical team, told a press conference yesterday.
The increasingly fragile state of his health has spurred speculation about whether Francis could opt to step down and make way for a successor, as his predecessor Benedict XVI had done.
While Pope Francis no longer has pneumonia, he is also not completely healed, the doctor said.
Dr Alfieri said it would also take time for him to regain full use of his voice, after battling a respiratory infection for so long.
This morning, the Vatican released a brief text it said was prepared by Francis, in which he thanked his doctors for their "tireless care".
Many Catholics around the world had been praying for the Pope's recovery, and people who gathered at the Vatican expressed relief at his leaving hospital.
"This discharge cheers us all up and gives us joy and hope," said Grazia Mara, an Italian. "We wish him a safe return home and a speedy recovery."
The Pope had continued to lead the Church from hospital.
He was making usual appointments of Catholic bishops around the world and also launched a new three-year reform process.
But a period of two months rest for Francis could lead to significant changes to the Vatican's calendar of coming events.
The pope had been set to meet with Britain's King Charles on 8 April and to lead the Vatican's annual Easter celebrations on 20 April.
The Vatican has not said whether Francis will be able to keep those appointments.
