VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis, who is taking two months’ rest as he recovers from double pneumonia, made an unannounced visit to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Thursday dressed in black pants rather than his usual, traditional white papal attire.
In a video verified by Reuters, the 88-year-old pontiff is seen in a wheelchair wearing black pants and with a striped blanket wrapped around his chest.
The pope, waving at visitors to the basilica as attendants pushed his wheelchair, had a small nasal hose to receive supplemental oxygen, the video showed.
The date of the video recording was verified by Reuters by its metadata and confirmed by the person who shared it.
“We were visiting St. Peter’s Basilica and saw some guards passing by and making way, so we went to see what it was, and it was the pope,” said Luiz Gil, who took the video. “Few people noticed, it was very quick, but he stopped to talk to a family with a baby.”
Francis is recovering at the Vatican after spending 38 days in hospital for double pneumonia, in the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy.
He has only made one previous public appearance since being discharged on March 23, when he briefly greeted crowds during an event in St. Peter’s Square on April 6.
The pope rarely makes public appearances wearing civilian garb rather than his traditional papal vestments, but has occasionally dressed down during some trips abroad.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, additional reporting by Pola Grzanka; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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