Pope Francis made his first public appearance since his hospital admission on February 14, greeting and thanking the faithful from a balcony at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Sunday.

The 88-year-old Pope, seated in a wheelchair, appeared frail but managed to wave gently to the crowd below and flashed a thumbs-up sign.

"Thank you, everyone," he said in a weak voice into a microphone, expressing his gratitude to the hundreds of people gathered to see him.