The Vatican has released the primary image of Pope Francis since he was taken to hospital with double pneumonia greater than a month ago.
The photograph shows the 88-year-old pontiff celebrating a mass in his prayer room within the hospital chapel on Sunday morning.
The photograph is taken from behind, and shows the leader of the Catholic Church wearing a purple stole sitting in a wheelchair in front of an altar.
The Vatican said he was particpating within the celebration of the Mass with other priests.
It is the primary photograph of the pope since he was admitted to hospital on 14 February with a severe case of bronchitis, which developed into double pneumonia. It can be the primary time the Vatican has mentioned that the Pope has participated in celebrating a Mass within the period.
Earlier, dozens of youngsters toting yellow and white balloons – many from war-torn countries – gathered outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital to greet Francis.
While the Pope didn’t appear from the Tenth-floor suite of windows, he thanked them and acknowledged their presence in the normal Sunday blessing.
“I do know that many children are praying for me; a few of them got here here today to Gemelli as an indication of closeness,” the pontiff said within the Angelus text prepared for the normal prayer but not delivered live again.
“Thank you, dearest children! The pope loves you and is at all times waiting to fulfill you,” Francis said.
Doctors this week said the pontiff was now not in a critical condition, but they’ve continued to stress that his condition remained complex attributable to his age, lack of mobility and the lack of a part of a lung as a young man.
Still, they’re issuing fewer medical bulletins because the pontiff has been on an upward trajectory. An X-ray this week confirmed that the infection was clearing.
Francis has not been seen publicly since he was admitted to the hospital after a bout of bronchitis that made it difficult for him to talk. Doctors soon added a diagnosis of double pneumonia and a polymicrobial (bacterial, viral and fungal) infection.
The first three weeks of his time in hospital were marked by a rollercoaster of setbacks, including respiratory crises, mild kidney failure and a severe coughing fit.
