Preparations began on Saturday (March 22) for the television broadcast of Pope Francis’ first public appearance in five weeks, which is planned for Sunday (March 23) from the window of his hospital room, Reuters reports.
The 88-year-old pontiff, who is being treated for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, is expected to give a greeting and blessing around noon (1100GMT).
The pope usually offers a weekly midday prayer in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square on Sundays, but he has not been able to do so since he was admitted to the hospital on February 14.
Francis was slowly regaining his strength but must "relearn to speak" after prolonged use of high-flow oxygen therapy, a senior cardinal said on Friday (March 21).
The pope has only been seen by the public once during his hospital stay, in a photo the Vatican released last week, while he was heard in a brief audio released on March 6, when his voice was broken, breathless and hard to understand.
The Vatican has not given a timeframe for the pope's discharge from the hospital, but plans for a meeting with Britain's King Charles on April 8 have raised the possibility that Francis could be back at his Vatican residence by then.
