A weak and frail Pope Francis left the hospital yesterday after surviving a five-week, life-threatening bout of pneumonia, giving a thumbs up to an adoring crowd and taking a detour to apparently go pray at a Rome-area church before returning home to the Vatican.
A motorcade carrying the 88-year-old pope wound its way through light Rome traffic and kept going after reaching Vatican City, where crowds of people had lined the streets to welcome him home. Security guards said Francis was heading to St. Mary Major basilica, where his favorite icon of the Madonna is located and where he always goes to pray after a foreign visit.
Before leaving Gemelli hospital, Francis gave a thumbs up and acknowledged the crowd after he was wheeled out onto the balcony overlooking the main entry.
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