Tired-looking pope leaves hospital, thanks faithful

Looking tired and worn, the pontiff sat in a wheelchair on one of the hospital balconies, waving softly to hundreds of people who had gathered below to wish the head of the Catholic Church well.

It was the first public sighting of the Argentine pope since February 14, when he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital with breathing difficulties and a respiratory illness which developed into pneumonia.

"Thank you, everyone", a weak-sounding Francis said into a microphone, as he waved his hands from his lap, occasionally lifting one to wave in the air and doing an occasional thumbs-up sign.

"I can see that woman with yellow flowers, well done", he said with a small smile, to laughter from the crowd.

Francis was on the balcony for two minutes before being discharged from the hospital immediately afterwards.

He left by car, waving from the closed window of the front seat as he drove past journalists, and could be seen wearing a cannula -- a plastic tube tucked into his nostrils which delivers oxygen.

The pope was driven past the Vatican and on to Santa Maria Maggiore, the Rome church which is his favourite and where he stops to pray before and after trips.

He was then seen arriving back at the Vatican.

Doctors have said that his health has improved sufficiently for him to go home, but that Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man and lost weight in hospital, still faces a long recovery of at least two months.

The increasingly fragile state of Francis's health has spurred speculation as to whether he could opt to step down and make way for a successor, as his predecessor Benedict XVI had done.

- 'A period of rest' -

The pope suffered repeat respiratory crises during his stay, leading doctors to perform bronchoscopies to remove secretions from his lungs and carry out a blood transfusion.

"Further progress will take place at his home, because a hospital -- even if this seems strange -- is the worst place to recover because it's where you can contract more infections," one of his doctors, Sergio Alfieri, told reporters on Saturday.

But Alfieri dismissed the possibility of Francis quickly returning to his regular duties.

"Convalescence, by definition, is a period of rest. So it is clear that during the convalescence period he will not be able to take on his usual daily appointments."

- Questions over Easter -

Questions therefore remain over who might lead the busy schedule of religious events leading up to Easter -- the holiest period in the Christian calendar.

Francis has missed the Angelus prayers -- normally recited by the pontiff every Sunday -- for five straight weeks.

Asked by reporters on Monday about speculation the pope could resign, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin replied: "No, no, no. Absolutely not."

Catholics and others worldwide have been praying for the pope's speedy recovery.

Well-wishers have been leaving flowers, candles and notes for Francis outside the Gemelli hospital.

At the most concerning stage of the pope's hospitalisation, he spent several weeks on assisted breathing, with nasal tubes and an oxygen mask.

He twice suffered "very critical" moments during which his life was in danger but he remained conscious, his doctors said.

He was only declared out of danger after a month of treatment in Gemelli Hospital.

The pneumonia he suffered means that Francis will require physiotherapy to recover use of his voice.

"When you suffer bilateral pneumonia, your lungs are damaged and your respiratory muscles are also strained," Alfieri said.

"It takes time for the voice to get back to normal."

Although the pope has not made a public appearance since February 14, the Vatican published a photo of him on March 16 praying in a chapel in his hospital room.

On March 6, an audio recording of the pope was released in which -- speaking in a weak voice -- he thanked the faithful praying for him.