Pope Francis has left the Gemelli Hospital in Rome after being admitted for 38 days with a respiratory infection. On Sunday, he greeted a crowd of around three thousand faithful who had gathered outside the hospital, before returning home to Vatican City.

It was the first time Francis had been seen in public since his hospitalization on February 14, when he was admitted to treat a serious respiratory tract infection and pneumonia. He will now continue treatment and recovery in his residence for at least two months. 

Francis, 88, appeared on his balcony on a wheelchair, waving and giving a thumbs up with a smile, looking tired. “Thank you to everyone,” he said in a faint voice, footage by Vatican News, the Holy See’s official news outlet, shows.

He greeted a woman who was holding a bouquet of flowers that were the yellow that represents the papacy, and with effort, blessed the crowd before being taken back inside. Moments later, he left the hospital in a car.

Francis first headed to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where he expressed gratitude before the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani for her care and protection. He then returned to his residence in Casa Santa Marta, the building next to St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

The pope’s discharge from hospital was announced by his medical team on Saturday, after two weeks of improvements in his condition. “The best way to recover is to do so at home,” his doctors said during a press conference, Vatican News reported.

Doctor Sergio Alfieri, head of the Gemelli Hospital medical team, said that the pope’s pneumonia has been treated successfully, but that he needs time to fully recover. Francis will receive medical care for the next two months and will soon be able to resume his normal activities, although he may not be able to meet with people, he explained.

During his stay, Francis suffered two critical episodes of bronchial spasms and respiratory insufficiency, but was able to recover with mechanical ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy. His doctors said he was never intubated and remained alert and oriented. They described his weak voice as a normal consequence of pneumonia and its treatment.

Before leaving hospital, Pope Francis prayed for the people of Palestine, and lamented “the resumption of heavy Israeli bombing on the Gaza Strip” in a written document for the day’s Gospel. He called for “an immediate halt to the weapons” and dialogue “so that all hostages may be released and a final ceasefire reached.”