Pope Francis made a surprise appearance in St. Peter's Square two weeks after his release from hospital

Less than two weeks after emerging from his prolonged hospitalization, Pope Francis made a surprise appearance in St. Peter's Square. The Pontiff's last public appearance had been on March 23, when he thanked the faithful from a balcony of Rome's Gemelli hospital.

"Happy Sunday, thank you all," Francis told those present, his voice faint but clear. To the stunned gaze of those present, he appeared in a wheelchair alongside his personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti; one of his private secretaries; and Argentine priest Juan Cruz Villalon.

He went to the altar together with the Italian archbishop, Rino Fisichella, who minutes ago had finished leading the Jubilee Mass for the sick and the world of healthcare. Immediately after, a statement from the pope was read for the nearly 20,000 present in the square, who did not stop cheering the pontiff.

"His Holiness, Pope Francis, greets with affection all the participants of this celebration and thanks them for the prayers raised to God for their health. Hoping that the Jubilee pilgrimage will be rich in fruit, he imparts his apostolic blessing, extending it to those dear to him, to the sick and suffering, as well as to all the faithful present," read an announcer in several languages.

It was also striking that the Pope entered with an oxygen device behind his wheelchair. According to the director of the Vatican Press Room, Matteo Bruni, Francis was showing slight improvements thanks to respiratory rehabilitation exercises and motor physiotherapy.

In turn, he told reporters that his lung infection was under control, so the pope was making progress with the use of his voice.