Pope Francis on Sunday made his first public appearance in more than five weeks, waving from a balcony at Rome's Gemelli hospital before his expected discharge from the facility later in the afternoon.

From a balcony, Francis greeted hundreds of people waiting outside the hospital where he had been treated for respiratory problems.

Pope Francis is making his first public appearance in five weeks before being discharged from the hospital where he was treated for a life-threatening case of pneumonia