Pope Francis hopes to make his first public appearance in five weeks on Sunday.
Francis, 88, has been confined to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since being admitted on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that developed into double pneumonia.
He has only been seen once since, when he was pictured from behind during prayers in a hospital chapel.
But in an update this morning, the Vatican said Francis plans to come to a window to greet well-wishers and offer a blessing.
The Vatican press office said yesterday that the pope’s overall condition remained stable, with slight improvements as he continues respiratory and physical physiotherapy.
He was continuing to reduce his reliance on high-flow supplemental oxygen he has needed to breathe during the day and no longer needs the mechanical ventilation mask at night.
Two of his closest advisers said Francis has been recovering well.
His chief of staff Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra said he had found Francis in good humour and serene during the three times he has visited the pope.
He visited Francis on February 24, March 2 and March 9, along with the Vatican secretary of state and Francis’s number two, Cardinal Pietro Parolin
‘The pope will recover,’ Pena Parra said on the sidelines of a book launch. ‘The pope is recovering well. The doctors say that he needs some time, but it’s going well progressively.
‘I found him well, serene, in good humour, and — just like him — tough with the desire to go forward.’
Francis hit the five-week mark in his hospital stay on Friday.
He was admitted last month with a bad case of bronchitis that developed into a complex lung infection and double pneumonia.
The Argentine has long battled respiratory illnesses and had part of one lung removed when he was a young man.
He has admitted to being a bad patient and is a known workaholic.
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