Pope Francis waved from a hospital balcony in Rome in his first public appearance for five weeks after suffering from severed pneumonia.

The 88-year-old pontiff appeared in wheelchair and offered a Sunday blessing from Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where a huge crowd gathered at the main entry piazza, including patients wheeled outside to see him in person.

The Pope is recovering from a severe illness that twice threatened his life and raised the prospect of a papal resignation or funeral.

After saying goodbye to staff, the Pope left the hospital in a Fiat 500 on his way to the Vatican to begin at least two months of rehabilitation and convalescence.